IRLF 


4 


SHEEP 


• 


BY 

FRANK  KLEINHEINZ 


^'**/*^r*.*i%^/^*:*/M'^^ 


GIFT  OF 

Mark  Hawley  Ray   !16 


SHEEP  MANAGEMENT 


A  HANDBOOK 

FOR  THE 

SHEPHERD  AND  STUDENT 


BY 

FRANK  KLEINHE1NZ 

INSTRUCTOR  IN  SHEEP  HUSBANDRY, 
UNIVERSITY  OF  WISCONSIN 


SECOND  EDITION 


PUBLISHED  BY  THE  AUTHOR 

MADISON.   WIS. 
1912 


\          A 


COPYRIGHT  1911 
BY  FRANK  KLEINHEINZ 

ALL    RIGHTS    RESERVED 

*/ 


CANT  WELL  PRINTING  COMPANY 
MADISON,    WISCONSIN 


PREFACE 

There  are  several  books  on  sheep  husbandry 
written  by  good  authorities  on  the  subject  which 
have  been  of  great  aid  to  flockmasters.  Sheep 
raisers  do  not  take  time,  as  a  rule,  to  read  lengthy 
books  and  this  handbook  has  been  prepared  to 
serve  as  a  brief  guide  to  sheep  management.  It 
treats  only  of  the  practical  problems  of  the  care 
and  management  of  the  flock  which  every  shep- 
herd engaged  in  the  business  has  to  confront. 

Numerous  inquiries  from  flockowners  from 
many  sections  of  the  country  for  information  rela- 
tive to  sheep  husbandry  and  the  troubles  connected 
with  the  industry,  the  requests  of  many  friends 
and  students,  and  especially  the  urgent  requests  of 
Dean  Henry  and  later  of  Dean  Russell,  both  of  the 
College  of  Agriculture  of  the  University  of  Wiscon- 
sin, have  induced  the  author  to  prepare  this  book. 
Judging  from  many  letters  received,  not  only  the 
beginners  with  sheep,  but  also  some  of  the  more 
experienced  men,  often  have  many  difficulties. 
This  little  book,  written  in  common,  every-day  lan- 
guage, will  perhaps  serve  to  assist  those  in  need  of 
help,  and  also  be  an  aid  in  the  further  improve- 
ment of  our  domestic  sheep.  The  writer  feels 


557U18 


iv  Sheep  Management. 

deeply  indebted  to  Messrs.  F.  B.  Morrison  and  J.  C. 
Marquis  for  their  assistance  in  the  preparation  of 
this  work,  and  also  to  the  American  Sheep  Breeder 
for  furnishing  some  of  the  photographs  of  prize 
winners  at  the  International  of  1910. 

In  this  work  the  author  has  given  his  many 
years  experience  in  sheep  husbandry.  From  his 
early  boyhood  in  his  native  land  of  Bavaria,  Ger- 
many, he  was  in  charge  of  the  flock  of  Shropshires 
on  his  father's  farm.  In  America  he  has  had 
charge  of  the  flock  of  the  Agricultural  Experiment 
Station  of  the  University  of  Wisconsin  ever  since 
April,  1890.  While  at  this  Station  he  has  carried 
on  many  experiments  with  sheep  which  have  fur- 
nished him  with  a  fund  of  valuable  information 
regarding  many  lines  of  sheep  husbandry.  From 
all  this  experience,  the  writer  feels  free  to  state 
that  no  one  man  knows  everything  concerning 
sheep.  Entirely  new  problems  occasionally  arise 
which  must  be  solved.  However,  one  fact  is  always 
true.  This  is  that  good  judgment,  energy,  kindness, 
and  painstaking  care  are  the  keynotes  to  success 
in  sheep  husbandry.  No  person  who  treats  his 
sheep  like  scavengers,  giving  them  little  or  no  at- 
tention, not  furnishing  them  half  enough  to  eat, 
and  even  depriving  them  of  a  drink  of  fresh  water, 
can  ever  expect  to  derive  any  pleasure  or  profit 
from  sheep  husbandry.  For  such  a  man  the  sheep 


Preface.  v 

will  never  prove  to  be  the  "Golden  Hoof."  No 
rough,  brutal  person  possessing  a  violent  temper 
and  lacking  self-control  should  ever  undertake  to 
raise  or  care  for  a  flock,  as  such  actions  are  en- 
tirely foreign  to  the  innocent,  peaceful  nature  of 
the  sheep. 


CONTENTS 

PAGE. 

Preface in 

List  of  Illustrations xi 

INTRODUCTION. 
THE  SHEPHERD  AND  His  GALLING xv 

CHAPTER  I. 
ESTABLISHING  THE  FLOCK. 

Value  of  Sheep  on  the  Farm — Small  Flock  for  Begin- 
ners— Scrub  Ram  Unprofitable — Selection  of  Ram 
— Age  of  Ram  to  Use — Care  of  Ram  in  Summer — 
Ram  in  the  Fall — Number  of  Ewes  to  One  Ram — 
Feed  for  Ram — The  Ram  in  Winter — The  Ewe 
Flock  ...  1 

CHAPTER  II. 
GENERAL  MANAGEMENT  OF  THE  FLOCK. 

The  Handling  of  Sheep — Catching  Sheep — Leading 
Sheep — Carrying  Small  Sheep  or  Lambs — Setting 
a  Heavy  Sheep  on  its  Rump — Sore  Teeth — Age  of 
Sheep  .__  19 

CHAPTER  III. 

WINTER  CARE  AND  FEEDING. 

Winter  Grain  for  Ewe  Flock — Amount  of  Grain  to  be 
Fed — Succulent  Feeds— Roughage — Winter  Quar- 
ters— Lambing  Pens — Exercise — Gestation  Period 


VIH  Sheep  Management. 

of  Ewes — Lambing  Time — Ewes  With  Twins  and 
Triplets — Ewes  With  Single  Lambs — Lambs  Born 
Weak — Reviving  the  Almost  Lifeless  Lamb — 
Chilled  Lambs — Adopted  Lambs — Newly  Lambed 
Ewes — Feeding  the  Ewe  After  Lambing — Caked 
Udders — Sore  Teats— Tagging  the  Ewes_.  33 

CHAPTER  IV. 
REARING   THE   LAMHS. 

The  Lamb  Creep — Grain  Ration — Cow's  Milk  for 
Lambs — Raising  Lambs  by  Hand — Marking  the 
Lambs — Castrating  the  Lambs — Methods  of  Cas- 
tration— Docking  the  Lambs — Weaning  the  Lambs 
— Care  of  Lambs  After  Weaning — Care  of  the  Ewe 
After  Weaning.  _  Cl 

CHAPTER   V. 
SHEARING  AND  DIPPING  THE  FLOCK. 

Shearing  Sheep — Tying  Up  the  Fleece — Shearing 
Ewes  Before  or  After  Lambing — Trimming  the  Feet  8!) 

CHAPTER   VI. 
PREVENTION  AND  TREATMENT  OF  PARASITES. 

Stomach  Worms  —  Symptoms  —  Prevention  —  Treat- 
ment— Size  of  Dose  —  Drenching  Sheep  —  Sheep 
With  Grub  in  the  Head — Prevention — Bloat  in 
Sheep — Remedy  for  Bloat — Medicines  Helpful  to 
the  Flockmaster — Colic  or  Stretches — Wethers 
With  Sore  Sheath — Maggots — Cause — Prevention- 
Treatment  -  .105 


Contents.  ix 

CHAPTER  VII. 
SUMMER  FEEDING  AND  CARE. 

Sugar  Beets  and  Mangels  Dangerous  for  Rams  and 
Wethers — Flushing  the  Ewes — Gulling  the  Ewe 
Flock — Culling  the  Lamb  Flock — Care  at  Breeding 
Time — Necessity  of  Salt — Burdocks  and  Sandburs 
—Dangers  of  Dead  Furrows 131 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
FEEDING  SHEEP  FOR  MARKET. 

Age  of  Sheep  to  Feed — Selection  of  Feeders — Prin- 
ciples of  Feeding — Little  Exercise  for  Fattening 
Sheep — Hand  Feeding  or  Self  Feeders — Shelter — 
Grain — Roughages — Succulent  Feeds — Rape  Feed- 
ing Previous  to  Fattening — Best  Time  to  Market — 
How  to  Feed  Before  Shipping — Winter  Lambs — 
Care  of  Dorset  Ewes — Feeding  Winter  Lambs 145 

CHAPTER   IX. 
FITTING  SHEEP  FOR  THE  SHOW  RING. 

Glasses  of  Show  Sheep — Selecting  for  the  Breeding 
Glass — Shearing  Sheep  for  the  Breeding  Classes — 
Proper  Time  to  Start  Fitting — Feed  for  Show 
Lambs — Feed  for  Older  Sheep — Trimming  Show 
Sheep — A  Help  in  Sheep  Trimming — Coloring 
Sheep  —  Blanketing  Sheep  —  Training  Sheep  for 
Shows — Shelter  for  Show  Sheep — Trimming  Feet 
of  Show  Sheep — Reducing  Sheep  After  Fairs 177 


x  Sheep  Management. 

CHAPTER  X. 
FITTING  WETHERS  FOR  SHOWS. 

Selection  of  Wethers — Shearing  Wethers — Age  to 
Show  Wethers — Best  Class  to  Fit — Feeding  Weth- 
ers— Best  Grain  Mixture  to  Feed — Fitting  Yearling 
Wethers — Fitting  Wether  Lambs — Symptoms  of 
Founder  --  Remedy  for  Founder  -  -  Trimming 
Wether  Lambs — Selecting  Block  Winners — Judging 
Sheep  at  Fairs..  .197 

INDEX  .   221 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

Plate  Page 

1  Group  of  yearling  wethers Frontispiece 

2  Sheep  on  Campus,  University  of  Wisconsin 3 

3  Montana  ewes  and  their  lambs 6 

4  Pure  bred  Southdown  ram 8 

5  Champion  Shropshire  yearling  ram  and  ewe  lamb  12 

6  Champion   Shropshire  flock 14 

7  The  wrong  and  the  right  way  to  catch  a  sheep  __  20 

8  The  wrong  and  the  right  way  to  lead  a  sheep  _.  22 

9  Carrying  a  lamb  or  a  small  sheep 24 

10  Setting  a  heavy  sheep  on  its  rump 26 

11  Examining  the  teeth  of  a  sheep 27 

12  The   different  ages  of  sheep,  as  shown  by  the 

front  teeth  .  28 

13  Parting  a  sheep's  lips  to  determine  the  agc__  30 

14  Champion  Oxford  ram  and  ewe 38 

15  First  prize  Hampshire  ram  and  ewe  lamb 42 

16  First  prize  flock  of  Southdowns 46 

17  Assisting  the  ewe  in  lambing 54 

18  Flushing  out  the  ewe  after  lambing 56 

19  Three-months-old  twin   Shropshire  lambs 62 

20  Lamb  creep  and  feed  troughs  in  sheep  barn 66 

21  Grain  trough  for  lambs 67 

22  Feed  trough  for  hay  and  grain 67 

23  Feeding  lambs  from  a  bottle 70 

24  Marking  the  lamb  with  the  Dana  ear  label 73 

25  Castrating  the  lamb 76 

26  How  a  lamb  is  docked  with  hot  pinchers 78 

27  How  to  hold  a  lamb  for  docking 81 


xii  Sheep  Management. 

Plate  Page 

28  Milking  a  ewe  with  two  hands 85 

29  Dipping  sheep 88 

30  Shearing  sheep  with  a  shearing  machine 92 

31  An  unusually  heavy  fleece 95 

32  Trimming  the  hoof  with  a  jack  knife..              __  101 

33  Pruning  knife,  or  clippers,  for  trimming  feet..  .  102 

34  First  prize  Cheviot  ram  lamb__        104 

35  Flock  of  Cheviot  ewes..                                        .__  104 

36  Drenching  bottle..                                                      .  112 

37  Drenching  a  large  sheep __                        113 

38  Drenching  a   small  sheep __                               114 

39  Champion  Cotswold  ram..                                 118 

40  First  prize  Lincoln  ram  and  ewe  lamb..          122 

41  First  prize  Leicester  ram  and  ewe  lamb..          .  126 

42  Champion  Kambouillet  ram  and  ewc._                   .  132 

43  Group  of  yearling  wethers .  138 

44  First  prize  pure-bred  Shropshire  wether  lambs.  142 

45  First    prize    pen    of    grade    Shropshire    wether 

lambs  _                                                                         .  152 

46  Second     prize     pure-bred     Shropshire     yearling 

wether  __                                                                       .  156 

47  First    prize    pen    of    grade    Shropshire    yearling 

wethers..                                                                       .  162 

48  First  prize  Dorset  ram  and  ewe  lamb..              .  168 

49  Grade  Dorset  ewes  and  their  lambs __                ...  170 

50  First    prize    pen    of    grade    Shropshire   wether 

lambs ._                                                                      .  176 

51  Champion  grade  Shropshire  yearling  wether 179 

52  Champion    pure-bred    Cheviot    yearling    wether, 

before   and   after   trimming 188 

53  Champion  pure-bred  Oxford  yearling  wether,  be- 

fore and  after  trimming.  _                                .  190 


List  of  Illustrations.  xni 

Plate  Page 

54  Champion  grade  Shropshire  yearling  wether 198 

55  Champion  pure-bred  Hampshire  yearling  wether  201 

56  Pair  of  Southdown  yearling  wethers 205 

57  Champion  pure-bred  Southdown  yearling  wether  208 

58  Grand  champion  pure-bred  Southdown  yearling 

wether 212 

59  Champion  pure-bred  Cheviot  yearling  wether __  215 

60  The  shepherd's  trophy 218 


INTRODUCTION 
THE  SHEPHERD  AND  HIS  GALLING. 

The  young  man  with  a  born  love  for  sheep  is  the 
one,  as  a  rule,  who  will  strive  in  his  younger  years 
either  to  find  employment  with  some  flockowner, 
or  perhaps  to  engage  for  himself  in  sheep  hus- 
bandry. He  likes  sheep,  he  likes  to  feed  and  take 
care  of  them.  Such  men,  when  they  have  learned 
the  details  connected  with  the  business,  are  those 
who  achieve  the  best  results. 

It  makes  no  difference  what  breed  of  sheep  a 
shepherd  handles;  to  be  successful  he  must  prac- 
tice the  secrets  which  are  the  keynote  to  success 
if  steadily  followed,  or  on  the  other  hand,  which 
when  slighted,  lead  to  certain  failure  in  the  busi- 
ness. Let  me  mention  a  few  of  these  secrets : 

1.  The  shepherd  must  be  kind  at  all  times  to 
every  member  of  his  flock. 

2.  He  must  practice  cleanliness,  which  means  to 
keep  feed  troughs  clean  and  sweet  and  not  let 
them  become  filthy  with  manure,  thereby  causing 
a  disagreeable  odor. 

3.  He  must  be  punctual,  which  means  to  keep 
regular  feeding  hours. 


xvi  Sheep  Management. 

4.  He  must  use  good,  sound  judgment  in   the 
every-day  work. 

5.  He  must  feed  liberally  and  not  hold  the  wrong 
idea  that  sheep  can  live  on  little  or  nothing. 

Wherever  these  few  points  are  constantly  ob- 
served and  practiced,  there  need  be  no  fear  that 
misfortunes  will  come  to  the  flock.  Most  of  the 
failures  in  sheep  husbandry  may  be  attributed 
directly  to  carelessness  and  negligence  on  the  part 
of  the  shepherd,  for  no  breed  of  sheep  will  do  well 
under  the  management  of  a  shiftless  shepherd.  A 
disinterested  shepherd  who  has  no  interest  in  the 
welfare  of  his  flock  is  just  as  bad  as  dogs  that  get 
among  the  flock  and  destroy  them.  Many  times  a 
shepherd  does  not  think  and  does  not  use  a  little 
common  horse  sense,  and  then  attributes  every- 
thing that  has  gone  wrong  to  bad  luck.  When  we 
see  a  poor  flock  we  generally  find  a  poor  shepherd 
back  of  it. 

Many  shepherds  would  be  benefited  if  they  could 
take  a  trip  to  England  and  learn  from  the  success- 
ful shepherds  of  that  country  how  they  handle 
their  flocks,  and  after  studying  their  methods  of 
raising  sheep,  on  their  way  back,  could  go  through 
Canada  and  especially  through  Ontario  and  see 
how  our  Canadian  friends  conduct  the  business. 
While  once  in  a  while  unfavorable  conditions  and 
environment  may  bring  about  trouble,  in  the  ma- 


The  Shepherd  and  His  Calling.  xvn 

jority  of  cases  the  fault  lies  with  the  shepherd  him- 
self and  is  so  often  wrongly  called  "bad  luck."  If 
the  shepherd  does  not  care  to  handle  his  flock  of 
breeding  ewes  during  winter  in  such  a  manner  as 
to  assure  the  largest  percentage  of  lambs,  and  is 
not  willing  to  sit  up  part  of  the  night  during  lamb- 
ing time,  he  is  not  worth  having  around  the  flock. 
The  shepherd  must  really  feel  proud  of  his  suc- 
cess and  must  feel  ashamed  of  things  which  have 
gone  wrong  through  his  fault.  The  best  shepherds 
of  today  are  not  conceited  over  their  success,  but 
feel  that  there  is  still  a  little  more  to  be  learned. 
If  a  shepherd  cannot  at  any  time  agree  with  his 
employer  he  will  never  take  the  best  interest  in  his 
flock.  A  shepherd  who  walks  through  the  sheep- 
fold  without  the  necessary7  sharpness  to  detect  an 
ill  sheep  in  the  flock  is  by  no  means  the  right  kind 
of  a  shepherd.  Another  one  that  sees  an  ailing 
sheep,  but  has  not  energy  enough  to  care  for  it  at 
once,  is  just  as  bad  or  worse  than  the  first  man 
mentioned. 

When  a  man  does  not  mind  the  bleat  of  a  sheep 
or  lamb  that  wants  more  feed,  salt,  or  water,  he 
has  not  the  true  spirit  of  a  shepherd.  Neither  is  he 
worthy  of  the  name  of  shepherd  if  he  does  not 
do  at  once  those  things  which  should  be  attended 
to,  but  says  he  will  do  them  tomorrow  or  some 
other  time.  The  man  who  is  not  aware  of  the 


xvm  Sheep  Management. 

danger  of  sheep  becoming  infested  with  maggots 
during  hot  weather  and  fly  time,  when  some  poor 
innocent  sheep  may  be  eaten  alive  by  these  pests, 
must  certainly  be  a  very  poor  shepherd  or  flock- 
master.  Another  who  does  not  dip  his  sheep  and 
lets  ticks  or  lice  constantly  annoy  and  feed  on 
them  is  just  as  cruel  to  his  flock  as  the  one  who 
starves  his  sheep  to  death.  If  a  shepherd  likes  to 
be  away  from  his  flock  as  much  as  possible  he  is 
not  the  one  who  has  the  thrift  and  welfare  of  it 
at  heart;  such  a  man  had  better  engage  in  some 
other  line  of  work. 

Is  it  not  good  practice  to  go  through  the  pasture 
once  a  day,  where  the  sheep  are  grazing,  to  see 
whether  a  fine  broad-backed  ewe  has  not  turned 
over  on  her  back,  with  her  four  legs  up,  in  a  little 
depression  in  the  ground,  where  she  will  die  if 
she  is  not  freed  from  this  position?  The  shepherd 
who  does  not  care  about  the  loss  of  a  sheep  or 
lamb  should  no  longer  have  charge  of  the  flock. 
The  men  that  do  not  see  the  importance  of  keep- 
ing their  sheep  out  of  cold  rains  and  storms  in  late 
fall,  winter,  and  early  spring  often  have  to  suffer 
the  loss  of  one  or  more  members  of  their  flock. 
The  shepherd  who  has  not  learned  the  necessity 
of  keeping  the  hoofs  of  his  flock  in  proper  trim 
and  shape  will  cause  much  trouble  in  his  flock  and 
will  reduce  his  profits.  If  he  is  not  careful  to  avoid 


The  Shepherd  and  His  Calling.  ixx 

feeding  moldy  and  spoiled  feed  of  any  kind  to  his 
flock,  he  is  not  a  true  shepherd;  neither  is  the  man 
who  feeds  frozen  roots  or  frozen  corn  silage,  both 
of  which  often  prove  fatal.  Whoever  believes  that 
the  best  results  can  be  obtained  by  merely  looking 
at  a  flock,  and  does  not  go  to  work,  is  badly  mis- 
taken. 

If  the  shepherd  does  not  supply  his  flock  with 
fresh,  pure  water  every  day  in  the  year,  but  shares 
the  opinion  of  quite  a  number  of  men  that  sheep 
need  little  or  no  water,  he  should  learn  as  early  as 
possible  that  sheep  require  water  just  as  well  as 
any  other  farm  animal.  Where  the  flock  is  allowed 
to  drink  from  old  stagnant  water  pools,  the  shep- 
herd runs  the  risk  of  having  his  flock  infested  with 
all  sorts  of  parasites.  Failure  to  rub  pine  tar  on 
the  sheeps'  noses  during  fly  time,  or  to  supply  this 
in  the  salt  trough,  as  is  recommended  elsewhere  in 
this  book,  may  result  in  the  flock  becoming  in- 
fested with  grub  in  the  head.  No  shepherd  can 
have  the  best  results  in  sheep  husbandry  without 
providing  some  succulent  feeds,  such  as  roots,  cab- 
bage, or  good,  sweet  corn  silage,  for  his  flock  dur- 
ing the  winter  months. 

The  shepherd  who  is  not  aware  of  the  serious 
danger  of  narrow  doors  in  the  sheep  barn,  which 
result  in  broken-down  hips,  pregnant  ewes  being 
induced  to  drop  their  lambs  before  they  are  due, 


xx  Sheep  Management. 

and  young  lambs  getting  squeezed,  trampled  down, 
and  killed  in  the  rush  by  the  older  sheep,  and  who 
does  nothing  to  prevent  this  evil,  lacks  good  judg- 
ment, and  is  responsible  for  any  loss  incurred  in 
this  way.  If  a  shepherd  fits  sheep  and  goes  into 
the  show  ring  simply  to  be  there  among  the  other 
shepherds  to  keep  them  company,  and  if  he  is 
not  possessed  with  the  strongest  desire  to  win  tho 
best  prizes  offered,  he  had  better  stay  at  home  and 
save  money  for  his  employer. 

To  make  a  long  story  short,  a  good  faithful  shep- 
herd looks  to  every  detail  of  his  work,  and  has  his 
mind,  heart,  and  soul  with  his  flock  at  all  times. 
He  leaves  nothing  undone  which  promotes  the 
thrift  and  welfare  of  each  individual  sheep.  He 
likes  to  talk  with  other  successful  shepherds  about 
sheep  and  tries  to  learn  the  better  methods.  He 
is  loyal  to  his  employer,  and  works  for  his  best  in- 
terest and  largest  profit.  His  happiest  hours  are 
spent  among  his  flock,  watching  young  lambs  grow 
and  old  ones  do  well.  Some  of  the  greatest  men 
in  the  Old  Testament  were  true,  faithful  shepherds. 


CHAPTER   I. 
ESTABLISHING  THE  FLOCK. 

THE  VALUE  OF  SHEEP  ON  THE  FARM. 

It  is  generally  known  that,  when  properly  man- 
aged, sheep  are  most  profitable  animals  on  the 
farm.  They  do  not  require  nearly  so  much  labor 
as  other  farm  animals,  especially  in  the  summer, 
when  the  farmer  is  the  busiest,  cultivating,  hay- 
ing, and  harvesting.  Another  advantage  is  that 
no  expensive  building  is  necessary  for  properly 
sheltering  and  housing  them.  Likewise  the  outlay 
of  capital  needed  to  start  a  flock  of  sheep  is  small 
compared  with  that  required  for  other  stock.  With 
good  prices  for  wool,  a  breeding  ewe  will  pay  for 
her  maintenance  during  the  year  with  her  fleece, 
and  will  raise  one  or  two  lambs,  or  perhaps  even 
three,  which  are  net  profit  to  the  owner.  With  the 
steadily  increasing  demand  for  good  mutton  and 
the  good  prices  paid  for  the  same,  it  can  easily  be 
seen  that  sheep  husbandry  pays  well,  if  handled 
in  the  right  way. 

Sheep   are   economical   producers,   and   require 

less  feed  for  the  production  of  a  pound  of  gain 

than  the  average  for  other  classes  of  live  stock. 

They  have  no  equals  as  weed  destroyers,  for  they 

i  (i) 


2  Sheep  Management. 

eat  nearly  all  of  the  numerous  weeds  and  grasses 
which  grow  on  the  farm.  The  manure  from  sheep 
is  worth  much  more  per  ton  as  fertilizer  than  that 
of  any  other  class  of  farm  animals  except  poultry7. 
Moreover,  when  on  pasture,  sheep  spread  their 
manure  more  evenly  than  other  stock.  Indeed,  no 
spreader  has  as  yet  been  invented  that  does  such 
perfect  work  as  the  sheep  themselves.  These  ani- 
mals never  impoverish  the  land  upon  which  they 
tread,  but  on  the  contrary  build  it  up  and  improve 
it.  For  this  reason  the  sheep  is  called  the  "Golden 
Hoof." 

In  pointing  out  the  advantages  of  sheep  hus- 
bandry it  is  not  the  writer's  intention  to  urge  far- 
mers to  give  up  all  other  classes  of  farm  animals 
and  stock  up  with  sheep,  but  he  wishes  simply  to 
emphasize  the  idea  that  at  least  a  few  sheep  can 
very  profitably  be  kept  on  almost  all  farms  which 
are  located  on  dry  land.  Sheep,  however,  will  not 
thrive  on  marshy  land. 

A   SMALL    FLOCK    I«'OH    HKdINNLHS. 

It  would  not  be  wise  for  anyone  not  thoroughly 
familiar  with  sheep  husbandry  to  start  in  with  a 
large  flock,  for  many  troubles  and  obstacles  arise 
which  have  to  be  overcome,  and  the  remedies  must 
be  learned  by  practical  experience,  as  all  of  them 
cannot  be  found  in  books.  Many  people  who 


Establishing  the  Flock.  3 

started  in  the  business  too  heavily  have  made  a 
failure  of  it,  and  consequently  have  been  com- 
pelled to  drop  the  undertaking.  The  proper  pro- 
cedure is  to  start  in  with  a  small  flock  and  gradu- 
ally increase  the  number,  as  one's  knowledge  of 
the  care  and  management  of  sheep  enlarges. 


PLATE  2.     Part  of  the   University  of  Wisconsin   flock  on  the  campus 
near  Agricultural   Hall,  right  after  shearing. 

One  of  the  greatest  drawbacks  to  sheep  hus- 
bandry in  many  sections  of  the  country  at  the  pres- 
ent time  is  the  dog  problem.  It  is  to  be  hoped, 
however,  that  in  every  state  of  our  country  laws 
will  be  enacted  similar  to  the  laws  of  some  states, 
which  will  do  away  with  many  of  the  worthless 
mongrel  curs  that  cause  enormous  damage  by  kill- 
ing sheep,  and  have  frightened  many  small  flock- 
owners  out  of  the  business. 


4  Sheep  Management. 

THE   SCRUB   RAM    UNPROFITABLE. 

Flockmasters  should  avoid  the  practice  of  using 
the  grade  or  scrub  ram,  for  wherever  such  a  nun 
is  used  no  improvement  in  the  offspring  can  be 
expected.  Indeed,  in  many  cases  the  vitality,  con- 
formation, and  strength  of  a  flock  is  reduced  by 
using  an  inferior  grade  or  scrub  ram  for  breed- 
ing. Therefore,  the  scrub  ram,  like  the  scrub  stal- 
lion, must  be  driven  out  of  the  country,  and  more 
scientific  and  intelligent  breeding  must  be  followed 
if  present  conditions  are  to  be  improved. 

It  is  shameful  that  there  are  so  many  flocks  of 
inferior  breeding  and  quality  throughout  nearly 
all  parts  of  our  country.  Flocks  of  this  type  de- 
mand more  feed  and  care  than  flocks  of  good 
breeding.  Moreover,  does  not  rearing  good  stock 
afford  the  farmer  much  greater  pleasure  and  more 
encouragement  than  raising  the  inferior  class  com- 
monly called  "scrubs"?  Does  he  not  also  know 
that  high  grade  animals  will  return  far  greater 
profit  than  scrubs?  The  writer  has  spent  many  of 
the  happiest  hours  in  his  life  in  taking  care  of  high 
class  animals,  but  he  would  have  found  no  pleas- 
ure in  caring  for  inferior  ones. 

It  is  thus  evident  that  flockmaslers  should  in  all 
cases  use  a  pure-bred  ram.  Not  every  one  of  these, 
however,  is  a  good  individual,  although  he  may 
have  a  pedigree  to  his  credit.  Some  registered 


Establishing  the  Flock.  5 

rams  are  very  inferior  in  type  and  conformation, 
and  will  not  make  any  improvement  in  a  flock. 
Breeders  would  improve  the  sheep  industry  if  they 
would  use  the  knife,  and  castrate  all  inferior  buck 
lambs  and  sell  them  for  mutton,  as  such  rams  do 
not  uplift  sheep  breeding,  but  on  the  ether  hand 
degrade  it. 

THE  SELECTION  OF  THE  RAM. 

It  has  been  demonstrated  that  the  rar.i  is  half,  or 
as  some  breeders  say,  even  more  than  half  of  the 
flock.  The  writer  fully  agrees  with  this  statement, 
as  he  has  often  observed  surprisingly  good  results 
from  using  a  first-class  sire  on  the  most  common 
kind  of  females.  It  is  doubtful  whether  in  any 
other  line  of  animal  breeding  such  rapKl  improve- 
ment can  be  accomplished  by  the  use  of  good  sires 
as  in  the  case  of  sheep  breeding.  The  best  sires 
are  none  too  good. 

The  first  illustration  in  Plate  3  shows  four  Mon- 
tana ewes  bought  on  the  range  some  years  ago  for 
$2.25  per  head.  These  ewes  were  very  thin  when 
purchased  and  were  just  "sheep,"  for  they  showed 
no  evidence  of  belonging  to  any  particular  breed. 
By  the  use  of  the  pure-bred  Southdown  ram,  which 
is  shown  in  Plate  4,  the  seven  fine,  well-built 
lambs  were  raised  in  one  season  from  the  four 
ewes.  One  of  these  lambs  was  good  enough  to 
win  the  second  prize  at  the  International  in  a  class 


PLATE  3.  (a)  Four  Montana  ewes  bought  on  the  range  for  s2.2.~>  pel- 
head,  (b)  Seven  lambs  raised  from  these  ewes  in  one  season.  Their 
sire  was  a  pure-bred. 


Establishing  the  Flock.  7 

where  38  lambs  were  shown.  These  lambs  show 
in  a  striking  manner  what  great  improvement  can 
be  made  by  the  use  of  a  good  sire  on  the  most  in- 
ferior females. 

When  selecting  a  breeding  ram  of  a  mutton 
breed,  one  should  know  and  bear  in  mind  the 
ideal  of  a  well-built  ram,  possessing  the  right  type, 
so  as  to  be  able  at  once  to  distinguish  the  good  ram 
from  the  inferior  one.  The  points  of  a  good  ram 
are  as  follows:  He  should  possess  lots  of  vigor 
and  vitality,  which  is  indicated  by  a  short,  broad 
head,  large  nostrils,  bold  eyes,  breadth  on  the  ball 
or  top  of  the  head,  a  short,  thick  neck,  a  wide  and 
deep  chest,  broad,  level  shoulders — smooth  on  top, 
and  a  well-developed  forearm.  His  forelegs  should 
be  straight  and  short,  and  set  well  apart.  He 
should  be  broad  and  deep  in  the  heart  girth,  which 
insures  good  constitution.  A  broad,  straight  back, 
with  well-sprung  ribs,  is  very  essential.  A  smooth, 
wide,  and  thick  loin  adds  greatly  to  the  value  of  a 
sire.  He  should  also  have  a  long,  level,  and  wide 
rump,  with  a  full,  deep  twist.  His  hind  legs,  like 
his  forelegs,  should  be  short,  straight,  and  wide 
apart,  and  the  flank  should  be  thick  and  low,  form- 
ing a  straight  side  line  as  well  as  a  straight  under- 
line. The  skin  should  be  of  a  pink  color,  and  the 
fleece  long,  fine,  and  dense,  depending,  of  course, 
upon  the  particular  breed  to  which  he  belongs. 


8  Sheep  Management. 

Style  and  carriage  arc  other  strong  points  in  a 
good  ram.  The  fact  that  rains  of  nearly  all  the 
middle  and  long  wool  breeds  should  be  free  from 


1*1. ATI-:    I.     Pure-bred  Southdo\\n  tarn.     Sire  01    the  seven  lambs  from 
Montana    e\\es. 

horns,  stubs,  or  scurs,  should  not  be  overlooked. 
Dorsets  and  Cheviots  are  exempt  from  this  rule. 
The  ram  should  show  masculinity  in  his  head  and 
have  strong  bone. 


Establishing  the  Flock.  9 

Heavily  fitted  show  rains  have  often  failed  to 
be  breeders,  or  if  they  did  breed,  they  produced 
small,  weak  lambs.  Flockmasters  are,  therefore, 
warned  not  to  purchase  these  too  heavily  fitted  or 
"overdone"  rams.  A  good,  so-called  "field"  ram, 
in  proper  condition,  generally  gives  the  best  re- 
sults in  breeding. 

THE  AGE  OF  THE  RAM  TO  USE. 

A  ram  of  the  middle  and  long  wool  breeds  is 
sufficiently  developed  and  fit  for  service  at  the 
age  of  one  and  one-half  years,  being  then  called  a 
"yearling."  While  it  is  common  among  breeders 
to  buy  yearling  rams  for  service,  it  may  be  of  in- 
terest to  flockmasters  to  know  that  it  has  been 
round  here  at  the  Wisconsin  Experiment  Station, 
where  every  lamb  is  weighed  at  birth,  that  lambs 
sired  by  rams  which  were  older  than  yearlings  are 
heavier,  on  an  average,  than  those  from  yearlings. 

Sheep  breeders  very  often  make  a  mistake  by 
using  a  ram  lamb  for  breeding.  Such  a  practice 
is  detrimental  to  their  own  interests  and  profit.  A 
sheep  makes  its  most  growth  the  first  year  of  its 
life;  and  hence  it  can  readily  be  seen  that  when  a 
lamb,  only  about  six  to  eight  months  old,  is  bred 
to  a  lot  of  ewes,  its  own  development  is  very 
much  hindered.  Ram  lambs,  when  heavily  used, 
have  often  proved  to  be  non-breeders  afterwards. 


10  Sheep  Management 

Therefore,  the  up-to-date  sheep  breeder  never  uses 
rani  lambs  for  breeding,  or  at  least  only  in  ran1 
eases.  For  instance,  a  breeder  buys  an  exceed- 
ingly good  rani  land)  for  a  high  price,  which  be 
intends  to  use  as  a  yearling  in  his  flock,  and  he 
may  be  very  anxious  to  see  the  offspring  from  it. 
In  such  a  case,  it  might  be  allowable  to  breed  this 
ram  lamb  to  three  or  perhaps  even  live  ewes,  but, 
of  course,  it  would  be  better  if  the  lamb  is  not 
used  at  all.  The  reason  why  so  many  ram  lambs 
are  used  for  breeding  is  that  farmers  can  purchase 
a  lamb  a  little  cheaper  than  a  yearling,  but  the 
few  extra  dollars  saved  in  the  purchase  price  are 
doubly  lost  at  the  other  end.  In  the  writer's  opin- 
ion it  is  far  better  to  buy  a  yearling  ram  instead 
of  a  lamb,  because  the  yearling  has  nearly  reached 
full  development  and  with  proper  care  will  not 
change  his  form.  In  the  case  of  the  lamb,  how- 
ever, its  future  development  cannot  in  all  cases 
be  correctly  predicted,  as  lambs  often  change 
markedly  in  conformation.  Indeed,  the  best  of 
lambs  have  often  turned  out  to  be  poor  yearlings. 

THI-:  CAHI:  01  THI-:  HAM  IN  SIMMI:H. 

To  let  the  ram  run  with  the  Hock  during  the 
summer  and  fall  is  not  the  best  practice.  The  ram 
is  more  or  less  restless  when  in  company  with 
breeding  ewes,  and  ewes  often  become  pregnant 


/•:.v/ri/)/i.s-/»inr/  ///<'  F/orA'.  11 

;iiid  give  birth  to  lambs  at  times  when  it  is  not  de- 
sirable to  have  them  come.  It  is  a  much  better 
plan  to  keep  the  ram  isolated  from  the  flock.  He 
can  be  turned  into  a  paddock  or  small  Held  where 
he  will  find  enough  grass  to  keep  him  in  good  con- 
dition. It  is  important  that  the  ram  have  shade 
and  fresh  water  where  he  is  kept  in  summer,  and 
sail  is  also  another  requisite  for  him.  Towards 
fall  when  the  weather  gets  colder  and  chilling  rains 
frequently  make  it  unpleasant,  the  ram  should  be 
housed  during  the  night  at  least,  for  many  valu- 
able breeding  rams  have  become  still'  and  rheu- 
matic at  this  season,  disabling  them  at  the  time 
needed  for  service,  and  ruining  them  for  life. 

mi:  HAM  IN   i  HI:  i  ALL. 

It  is  customary  to  turn  the  ram  with  the  flock  of 
ewes  when  breeding  is  to  begin.  Although  this 
plan  is  permissible,  a  more  satisfactory  method, 
where  lime  will  permit,  is  to  follow  what  is  termed 
"hand  coupling.1"  In  hand  coupling  the  flock  of 
cues  to  be  bred  to  one  ram  is  brought  each  morn- 
ing to  an  enclosure  where  the  ram  is  turned  with 
them.  The  shepherd  watches  the  ram  closely,  and 
as  soon  as  any  ewe  has  had  one  service  she  is 
turned  out  of  the  enclosure,  so  that  the  ram  will 
pay  attention  to  other  ewes  in  heat.  It  is  not  ad- 
visable to  allow  the  ram  to  breed  more  than  three 


*1  All.     .">.      (  haiiipion     Sliropxhii  r     >r:uliiiK     r:un     ami     «-\\r     liuiib     nl 
Interiintionnl,    I'.Mo,   sh..\\u   |>y    (.liamllri    lit.  s..    (  ii. niton.   |u\\n. 


Establishing  the  Mock.  \\\ 

r\\es  in  the  morning.  Therefore,  if  there  should 
be  more  than  three  in  heat  in  the  morning  llu- 
rest  should  he  reserved  for  the  evening. 

If  :i  ewe  should  fail  to  become  pregnant  from 
her  first  service,  she  will  return  in  heat  again  in 
from  fourteen  to  nineteen  days.  However,  the 
UK.it  majority  return  in  sixteen  to  seventeen  days. 
Only  in  three  or  four  eases  has  the  writer  known 
as  long  a  period  as  twenty-one  days  to  pass  before 
ewes  returned. 

By  the  method  of  hand  coupling  the  shepherd 
is  able  to  keep  a  record  of  the  date  each  ewe  be- 
comes pregnant.  Hence  he  will  know  the  date 
when  she  is  due  to  lamb.  When  the  ram  is  allowed 
to  serve  each  ewe  but  once  at  each  time  she  is  in 
heat,  rather  than  to  serve  her  hall  a  do/en  limes, 
his  vitality  and  vigor  are  also  saved  to  a  great  ex- 
tent. Moreover,  it  is  well  known  that  a  single  scrv- 
ii-e  is  better  for  the  ewe  than  being  bred  several 
times. 

Many  sheep  breeders  who  have  not  time  to  prac- 
tice hand  coupling,  but  nevertheless  want  to  make 
sure  whether  the  nun  that  is  turned  with  the  ewe 
flock  is  a  breeder,  paint  him  on  the  brisket  be- 
tween his  forelegs  with  some  color  which  will 
leave  a  mark  of  the  paint  on  the  wool  of  the  ewe. 
This  mark  indicates  that  the  ewe  has  been  bred. 
After  eighteen  days  or  three  weeks  have  passed, 


Establishing  the  Flock.  15 

the  ram  is  painted  with  another  color,  and  in  this 
way  the  breeder  is  enabled  to  find  out  whether  the 
ewes  are  returning  or  not.  Some  breeders  put  a 
different  color  on  the  ram  the  third  time,  and  if  all 
ewes  return  after  being  bred  two  or  three  times, 
another  ram  should  be  secured.  The  writer  has 
seen  rams  that  apparently  did  their  duty  well  and 
bred  many  ewes,  but  never  got  a  single  one  with 
lamb. 

However,  even  if  the  first  half  dozen  or  so  of 
ewes  served  do  return,  the  shepherd  need  not  nec- 
essarily worry  about  the  ram's  not  being  a  breeder. 
Indeed,  the  writer  has  observed  that  very  com- 
monly the  first  few  ewes  bred  by  any  ram  will 
return. 

It  is  a  peculiar  fact  that  where  the  ram  is  left 
with  the  flock  he  may  pay  all  his  attention  to  one 
ewe  and  entirely  neglect  others  which  are  in  heat, 
thereby  needlessly  wearing  out  his  vitality.  In 
such  a  case  the  ram  seems  instinctively  to  take  a 
liking  to  this  one  ewe.  All  this  will  be  prevented 
where  hand  coupling  is  followed. 

THE  NUMBER  OF  EWES  ALLOWED  TO  ONE  RAM. 

Not  more  than  fifty  to  fifty-five  ewes  should  be 
bred  to  one  ram  in  a  season.  The  writer  has  ob- 
served in  his  many  years  of  experience  that  even 
with  this  number  of  ewes  to  one  ram  and  where 


16  Sheep  Management. 

hand  coupling  was  followed,  the  last  lambs  born 
were  not  nearly  as  strong  as  those  born  first.  This 
emphasizes  strongly  how, unwise  it  is  to  allow  the 
ram  to  serve  too  many  ewes.  On  the  western 
ranges  where  the  rams  run  at  large  with  the  flock, 
and  where  no  grain  is  fed  them,  only  from  thirty- 
five  to  forty  ewes  are  allotted  to  each  ram. 

FEED  FOR  THE  RAM. 

To  obtain  the  best  results  from  a  ram,  he  must 
be  kept  in  a  strong,  vigorous  condition.  He  needs 
no  grain  during  the  summer  months  when  he  has 
good  pasture,  but  at  least  one  month  before  breed- 
ing begins  he  should  be  given  some  grain.  Noth- 
ing can  be  more  highly  recommended  than  a  mix- 
ture of  two  parts  of  oats  and  one  part  of  bran. 
This  ration,  which  is  strong  in  protein,  does  not 
tend  to  produce  much  fat.  The  amount  of  this 
mixture  to  be  fed  lies  entirely  in  the  feeder's  judg- 
ment, for  he  must  distinguish  between  "thrifty" 
and  "too  fat"  condition.  No  satisfactory  results 
can  be  expected  from  a  ram  that  is  too  thin,  nor 
from  one  that  is  too  fat. 

THE  RAM   IN   WINTER. 

The  ram  should  be  kept  away  from  the  breeding 
flock  in  the  winter,  as  in  summer,  so  that  he  can- 
not annoy  and  bunt  the  pregnant  ewes  around,  as 


Establishing  the  Flock.  17 

he  may  often  otherwise  do.  If  a  small  amount  of 
the  grain  mixture,  before  mentioned,  is  given  daily 
with  some  good  clover  or  alfalfa  hay,  and  a  few 
roots  or  a  little  corn  silage,  the  ram  may  be  kept 
in  splendid  shape.  He  can  be  used  for  two  sea- 
sons on  the  ewes  in  one  flock,  and  then  when  a 
change  has  to  be  made  so  as  not  to  inbreed  him 
on  his  own  get,  if  he  has  been  cared  for  properly, 
he  will  sell  to  another  breeder  for  about  his  origi- 
nal cost,  or  very  little  less.  Mangels  and  sugar 
beets  should  not  be  fed  to  rams  or  wethers,  as 
stated  elsewhere  in  this  work. 

THE  EWE  FLOCK. 

When  the  flockmaster  intends  to  raise  sheep  for 
mutton  and  wool  production  only,  a  grade  flock 
should  be  established.  By  using  a  good  pure-bred 
sire  and  retaining  some  of  the  best  ewe  lambs  in 
the  flock  each  year  to  take  the  place  of  the  older 
ewes  that  arc  annually  culled  out  and  sold  to  the 
butcher,  a  fine  grade  flock  may  be  developed  in 
the  course  of  four  to  five  years.  When  a  person 
desires  to  raise  pure-bred  sheep  and  sell  them  for 
breeding  purposes  the  ewes  selected  for  this  work 
should  be,  like  the  ram,  of  the  highest  type,  and 
best  build  and  conformation  for  that  particular 
breed.  One  may  select  pure-bred  sheep  of  any 
kind  to  establish  a  flock,  but  if  he  fails  to  select  the 


18  Sheep  Management. 

up-to-date  type  of  the  breed  he  chooses,  he  will 
soon  learn  when  it  comes  to  selling  for  breeding 
purposes  that  he  cannot  command  the  highest 
prices  on  account  of  lack  of  type.  Likewise,  if 
good  type  is  in  evidence,  and  the  right  conforma- 
tion is  lacking,  the  same  thing  happens.  In  rais- 
ing purc-bivds,  start  right,  and  you  will  always  be 
right. 


CHAPTER  II. 
GENERAL  MANAGEMENT  OF  THE  FLOCK. 

THE  HANDLING  OF  SHEEP. 

Many  flockowners  in  this  country  treat  their 
sheep  simply  as  scavengers  on  their  farms,  but  in 
England,  however,  they  are  handled  in  an  entirely 
different  manner.  There  the  people  treat  their 
sheep  as  they  should  be  treated,  for  they  have  had 
many  years  of  experience  in  sheep  husbandry  and 
have  learned  to  appreciate  the  value  of  sheep  on 
the  farm  far  more  than  do  many  people  in  Amer- 
ica. Some  men  in  this  country  handle  their  sheep 
in  a  manner  that  is  cruel  and  really  inhuman.  The 
late  Prof.  John  A.  Craig,  a  friend  of  the  writer  and 
well  known  as  one  of  the  foremost  authorities  on 
sheep  husbandry  in  America,  while  once  watching 
sheep  shearers  at  a  large  plant  in  the  West,  was 
witness  to  the  cruelty  of  some  of  the  brutal  shear- 
ers toward  the  sheep.  During  a  short  time  in  their 
careless  and  reckless  haste  they  slashed  open  the 
bellies  of  three  sheep  so  badly  that  their  intestines 
ran  out  on  the  shearing  floor  and  the  sheep  had 
to  be  killed  in  order  to  relieve  them  of  the  terrible 
pain  they  were  suffering.  And  yet  we  speak  about 
humanity! 

(19) 


20 


Sheep  Management. 


The  writer  himself  could  mention  many  in- 
stances of  such  cruel  and  barbarous  handling  of 
sheep  that  he  himself  has  been  witness  to,  but 


PLATE  7.      (a)    The  wrong  way  to  catch  a   sheep,      (b)    The  right   way 
to    catch    it. 


General  Management  of  the  Flock.  21 

these  things  have  been  done  and  cannot  be  altered. 
Nothing  will  be  said  here  about  the  starvation  of 
so  many  poor  sheep  on  the  Western  ranges  dur- 
ing the  winter  months.  Let  us  at  least  learn  to 
pick  up  those  pieces  of  barb  wire,  broken  from 
fences,  that  lie  across  our  lanes,  so  that  sheep  will 
not  daily  get  tangled,  cut  their  legs,  and  pull  out 
their  wool.  To  get  all  the  profit  which  is  possible 
out  of  sheep  many  such  matters,  which  may  seem 
like  trifles,  must  be  attended  to  by  the  shepherd. 

CATCHING  THE  SHEEP. 

When  the  shepherd  wishes  to  catch  a  sheep  he 
should  grasp  it  at  the  proper  place,  namely,  at  the 
flank.  The  accompanying  illustrations  show  the 
wrong  and  the  right  way  to  catch  a  sheep.  Many 
an  ignorant  flockowner  catches  and  takes  hold  of 
the  sheep  by  the  wool,  at  any  place  he  can  get  hold 
of  best,  in  the  manner  shown  in  the  first  picture. 
Men  who  do  this  do  not  realize  that  the  skin  of  the 
sheep  is  very  lightly  attached  to  its  flesh,  and  that 
by  holding  the  sheep  by  the  wool  in  this  careless 
manner  the  skin  is  torn  loose  from  the  flesh  as  far 
and  a  little  farther  than  the  hand's  reach,  thus  in- 
juring the  innocent  sheep.  It  has  been  our  expe- 
rience that  it  takes  the  sheep  about  two  months  to 
recover  from  the  bruise  thus  caused.  On  the  other 
hand,  if  the  sheep  is  held  by  the  flank,  as  is  shown 


22  Sheep  Management. 

in  the  second  illustration,  no  injury  whatever  is 
inflicted,  and  the  largest  and  strongest  ram  will 
yield  and  stand  still  when  caught  in  this  manner. 


PLATE  8.     (a)  The  way  too  many  people  try  to  lead  a  sheep,     (b)  The 
easiest  and  right  way  to  lead  a  sheep. 


General  Management  of  the  Flock.  23 

LEADING  THE  SHEEP. 

We  often  see  farmers  trying  to  lead  a  sheep  by 
taking  hold  of  it  by  its  neck,  of  course  also  by  the 
wool,  and  dragging  it  along.  They  make  a  hard 
task  of  it  for  themselves,  and  they  certainly  make 
it  most  unpleasant  for  the  sheep.  When  properly 
handled  all  breeds  of  sheep  lead  fairly  well,  with 
the  exception  of  the  fine  wools.  These  are  more 
stubborn  than  the  rest,  but  yet  any  breed  may  be 
led  if  the  proper  method  is  pursued.  If  a  sheep  is 
to  be  led  get  on  its  left  side,  just  the  same  as  if 
you  were  going  to  lead  a  horse  or  cow.  As  is 
shown  in  the  accompanying  illustration,  place  your 
left  arm  around  its  neck,  and  your  right  hand  on 
the  end  of  its  tail-head,  tickling  it  just  a  little  there, 
and  you  will  find  that  it  will,  as  a  rule,  come  your 
way  very  quickly,  or  at  times  even  faster  than  you 
care  to  have  it  come. 

CARRYING  AND  LIFTING  SMALL  SHEEP  OR  LAMBS. 

Occasions  often  present  themselves  when  it  be- 
comes necessary  to  carry  small  sheep  or  lambs  for 
a  short  distance,  or  to  lift  them  from  one  pen  into 
another.  This  work  may  be  very  easily  performed 
by  lifting  the  animal  in  the  following  manner: 
Standing  nearly  at  the  rear  of  the  sheep,  though 
slightly  more  to  the  right  side,  slip  the  right  hand 
back  of  the  sheep's  right  front  leg  and  place  it  on 


PLATE  9. 


An    easy    %vay    to   carry   a    lamb   or   small    sheep 
without    its  struggling. 


General  Management  of  the  Flock.  25 

the  brisket  between  the  two  front  legs.  Now  lift 
the  sheep  slightly  from  the  ground  with  the  right 
hand  to  prevent  its  going  forward.  Then  with  the 
left  hand  take  hold  of  the  left  hind  leg  just  above 
the  hock  and  lift  the  sheep  up  against  your  breast, 
as  is  shown  in  the  accompanying  illustration  where 
a  108-pound  lamb  is  being  carried.  By  this  method 
all  struggling  is  avoided  and  no  harm  whatever 
done  to  the  sheep. 

SETTING  A  HEAVY  SHEEP  ON  ITS  RUMP. 

It  is  a  relatively  easy  task  to  set  a  light  sheep  or 
lamb  on  its  rump  by  simply  lifting  it  up  and  set- 
ting it  down  on  its  rump.  However,  with  larger 
and  heavier  sheep,  and  especially  with  rams,  it 
means  a  little  more  work  and  care.  Perhaps  the 
easiest  way  is  to  place  the  left  arm  around  the 
sheep's  neck,  reaching  back  with  the  left  hand  and 
placing  it  firmly  on  the  right  forearm  of  the  sheep. 
Now  reach  across  under  the  sheep  with  the  right 
hand,  taking  hold  of  the  right  hind  leg  just  above 
the  hock.  Then  the  operator  should  shove  against 
the  sheep  with  his  breast,  and  by  pulling  gently 
with  the  hand  on  the  right  hind  leg,  the  jsheep  will 
be  turned  on  its  rump  gently  and  easily,  as  is 
shown  in  the  illustration  which  follows.  When  a 
sheep  is  to  rise  from  this  position  some  men  will 
allow  it  to  roll  over  on  one  of  its  sides  and  then 


26 


Sheep  Management. 


let  it  struggle  until  it  is  finally  able  to  get  its  legs 
under  itself  so  it  can  rise.  However,  if  the  shep- 
herd will  push  the  sheep  straight  forward  on  its 
front  feet  when  it  is  sitting  on  its  rump,  it  will  be 
able  to  rise  easily  and  quickly. 


PI.ATU  10.     The  proper  way  to  set  a  heavy  sheep  on  its  rump. 
SORE  TEETH. 

When  sheep  show  irregularity  in  eating  or  chew- 
ing their  cud  an  examination  of  their  teeth  be- 
comes necessary.  The  mouth  of  a  sheep  can  be 
opened  by  means  of  two  pieces  of  cloth,  each  about 


General  Management  of  the  Flock. 


27 


two  feet  long  and  two  inches  wide.  One  of  these 
should  be  tied  on  the  upper  jaw,  the  other  on  the 
lower  jaw  between  the 
front  and  back  teeth.  By 
pulling  on  these  two  strips 
one  man  will  be  able  to 
hold  the  mouth  open  while 
another  examines  it,  as  is 
shown  in  the  accompany- 
ing illustration. 

In  case  there  should  be 
a  loose  or  badly  decayed 
tooth  that  troubles  the 
sheep  in  eating,  this  should 
be  removed  by  means  of 
a  small  pair  of  pinchers. 
If  the  outside  edge  of 
one  of  the  back  teeth  has 
grown  so  long  and  sharp 
that  it  cuts  into  the  flesh, 
a  file  should  be  taken  and 
the  sharp  edge  or  point 
filed  off.  Many  sheep  have  suffered  from  sore 
teeth  without  their  owners  knowing  what  ailed 
them. 

THE  AGE  OF  SHEEP. 

The  age  of  a  sheep  can  be  closely  determined 
from  its  teeth.     When  a  sheep  has  a  full  set  of 


PLATE  11.  How  a  sheep's 
mouth  is  held  open  while  the 
teeth  are  being  examined. 


General  Management  of  the  Flock.  29 

teeth  we  will  find  eight  of  them  on  its  lower  jaw  in 
front,  but  none  on  the  upper  jaw.  In  the  illustra- 
tion are  shown  views  of  the  entire  skulls  and  of 
the  lower  jaws  of  sheep  of  different  ages.  The 
lamb's  skull  at  the  left  shows  its  full  set  of  first  or 
"milk"  teeth.  These  milk  teeth  are  uniform  in  size 
and  shape,  and  are  rather  narrow.  After  the  lamb 
has  reached  the  age  of  from  twelve  to  fifteen 
months  the  central  pair  of  milk  teeth  drop  out, 
and  a  much  larger  pair  of  permanent  teeth,  or  in- 
cisors, take  their  place.  The  second  view  shows 
the  front  teeth  of  a  sheep  of  this  age.  At  the  age  of 
two  years  another  pair  of  milk  teeth,  one  on  each 
side  of  the  first  pair,  will  be  replaced  by  another 
pair  of  permanent  ones,  as  is  shown  in  the  third 
view.  A  year  later  the  third  pair  of  permanent 
teeth  will  appear,  and  only  one  pair  of  milk  teeth 
will  be  left,  as  is  shown  in  the  fourth  jaw.  At 
length  when  the  sheep  is  about  four  years  old,  the 
whole  set  of  milk  teeth  will  have  been  replaced 
by  a  full  permanent  set,  as  is  shown  in  the  last 
view. 

We  often  find  that  the  changes  of  teeth  are 
somewhat  irregular.  For  instance,  the  writer  has 
seen  rare  cases  where  sheep  did  not  change  the 
first  pair  of  teeth  until  they  were  eighteen  and  in 
one  case  nineteen  months  old,  and  then  shortly 
after  the  first  change  had  occured  the  second  took 


PLATE  13.     The  right  way  to  part  a  sheep's  lips  to  determine  the  age. 


General  Management  of  the  Flock.  31 

place  long  before  the  sheep  was  two  years  old. 
Heavy  forcing  in  feeding  will  often  hasten  the 
early  changing  of  the  teeth. 

At  about  four  years  of  age,  when  the  last  pair 
of  milk  teeth  has  been  replaced  and  the  sheep 
has  its  full  set  of  permanent  teeth,  the  teeth  will 
again  be  found  more  uniform.  They  will  now  be 
nearly  as  uniform  as  the  full  set  of  milk  teeth  the 
lamb  had  at  first.  Howrvrr,  the  permanent  teeth 
are  all  larger  than  the  milk  teeth  and  may  be  worn 
so  that  the  corners  are  rounded  off  or  the  tops  flat- 
tened, while  the  milk  teeth  are  sharp  and  square. 
From  the  time  the  sheep  is  a  yearling  until  it 
reaches  the  age  of  four  years  we  do  not  find  uni- 
formity in  the  size  and  shape  of  the  teeth,  as  there 
are  always  some  of  the  permanent  and  some  of 
the  milk  teeth  present,  and  the  latter  are  narrower 
and  comparatively  smaller  than  the  permanent 
teeth. 

After  the  age  of  four  years  no  one  can  tell  the 
exact  age  of  a  sheep  by  its  teeth.  However,  well- 
experienced  men  can  guess  pretty  closely  by  the 
looks  of  a  sheep's  face  whether  it  is  a  five,  seven, 
or  eight-ryear-old.  Many  times  the  seven  or  eight- 
year-old  has  lost  some  of  its  teeth,  or  they  may  be 
loose  in  the  mouth.  The  writer  has  seen  rare  cases, 
where  he  knew  the  exact  age  of  the  sheep,  in 


32  Sheep  Management. 

which  they  had  lost  half  of  their  teeth  between 
three  and  four  years  of  age.  Such  cases  may  be 
attributed  to  heavy  or  forced  feeding  during  the 
first  few  years  of  the  sheep's  life. 


CHAPTER  III. 
WINTER  CARE  AND  FEEDING. 

WINTER  GRAIN  FOR  THE  EWE  FLOCK. 

Sheep  will  thrive  on  the  grains  and  roughage 
which  are  grown  on  the  average  farm.  Breeding 
ewes  that  come  into  winter  quarters  in  good  con- 
dition do  not  need  a  great  deal  of  grain.  The 
flockowner  should  aim  not  to  let  them  run  down 
in  condition,  as  is  often  done.  Wherever  breeding 
ewes  are  forced  to  go  through  a  process  of  starva- 
tion in  the  winter  time  great  loss  and  all  sorts  of 
trouble  appear  toward  spring  and  lambing  time. 
While  breeding  ewes  should  not  be  poor  in  condi- 
tion, it  is  also  a  mistake  to  have  them  too  fat. 
However,  if  the  writer  had  to  make  a  choice  be- 
tween the  two  conditions,  he  would  prefer  the 
latter. 

A  mixture  consisting  of  one  and  one-half  parts 
oats  and  one  part  bran  has  given  very  satisfactory 
results  when  fed  to  pregnant  ewes.  The  oats 
strengthen  the  ewes,  and  the  bran  is  laxative  and 
serves  to  keep  the  digestive  organs  in  good  work- 
ing order.  All  fat  producing  varieties  of  grain, 
such  as  corn,  barley,  rye,  oilmeal,  and  cottonseed 
meal,  cannot  be  recommended  to  be  extensively 

3  (33) 


34  Sheep  Management. 

fed  to  pregnant  ewes,  since  they  have  a  tendency 
to  produce  a  surplus  amount  of  fat  inside  of  the 
body,  and  thus  make  it  difficult  for  the  lamb  to 
develop  properly.  When  ewes  are  fed  extensively 
on  these  rich  grains,  in  many  cases  their  systems 
are  heated  up  and  they  shed  more  or  less  of  their 
wool  long  before  shearing  time. 

AMOl'NT  OF  GRAIN  TO  BE  FED. 

No  man  can  lay  down  a  definite  rule  as  to  the 
amount  of  grain  to  be  fed  to  a  sheep  per  day,  since 
they  vary  in  size  and  condition.  It  has  been  found 
that  one-half  pound  per  day  of  the  grain  mixture 
already  mentioned  is  sufficient  for  a  medium  sized 
ewe,  weighing  from  150  to  170  pounds,  during  the 
winter  months.  When  good  alfalfa  or  clover  hay 
is  fed,  in  conjunction  with  some  succulent  feed, 
no  grain  is  needed  up  to  about  one  month  before 
lambing  time1.  At  this  time,  however,  it  becomes 
necessary  to  feed  some  grain  in  order  to  insure  a 
good  milk  flow  for  the  young  lambs. 

succi LENT  FEEDS. 

All  succulent  feeds  tend  to  keep  the  bowels  of 
sheep  in  excellent  condition,  and  have  a  general 
tonic  and  regulating  effect.  Chopped  roots  are  as 
good  a  succulent  feed  as  can  be  recommended. 
They  may  be  chopped  up  by  means  of  a  root 


Winter  Care  and  Feeding.  35 

pulper,  which  can  be  purchased  at  small  cost  and 
is  very  useful.  Among  all  the  varieties  of  roots 
grown  the  writer  in  his  experience  has  found  ruta- 
bagas the  most  satisfactory  for  sheep  feeding. 
While  roots  are  very  good  for  sheep  feeding,  al- 
though somewhat  expensive  to  grow,  there  is  an- 
other succulent  feed,  namely  corn  silage,  that  will 
take  their  place,  for  sheep  relish  good  sweet  corn 
silage.  Care  should  be  taken  when  feeding  silage 
that  no  spoiled  or  moldy  stuff  is  fed,  which  is  very 
detrimental,  nor  sour  silage,  which  contains  a 
great  deal  of  acid  and  causes  colic,  stretches,  and 
scouring.  All  such  silage  is  dangerous,  especially 
to  pregnant  ewes,  us  it  is  apt  to  cause  abortion. 
Such  poor  silage  fed  to  ewes  after  lambing  will 
also  cause  the  suckling  lamb  to  scour,  often  result- 
ing in  death,  (iood  succulent  feeds  are,  however, 
very  essential  for  breeding  ewes  after  lambing 
time,  as  they  increase  the  milk  production  for  the 
lambs.  It  is  not  a  safe  plan  to  feed  too  much  suc- 
culent feed  to  pregnant  ewes,  as  it  would  be  re- 
sponsible for  what  are  termed  large,  soft,  flabby 
lambs,  which  have  no  strength  or  vitality  when 
born  and  ultimately  die.  It  has  been  learned  at 
this  Station  that  two  pounds  of  succulent  feed 
(roots  or  silage)  can  be  fed  safely  per  day  to  a 
pregnant  ewe  with  good  results.  After  lambing 
time  this  amount  can  be  increased.  Care  must  be 


36  Sheep  Management. 

taken  that  no  frozen  roots  or  silage  are  fed,  for 
some  sheep  feeders  have  experienced  bitter  losses 
of  sheep  after  feeding  frozen  roots  or  silage. 
Frozen  roots  chill  the  stomach,  while  frozen  or 
moldy  silage  may  have  a  poisonous  effect.  Either 
will  cause  a  serious  derangement  of  the  digestive 
organs. 

ROUGHAGE  FOR  SHEEP  IN  WINTER. 

Sheep  like  variety  in  their  feed,  perhaps  more 
so  than  other  farm  animals.  Alfalfa,  red  clover, 
and  other  leguminous  hays  are  their  favorites. 
Oats  and  peas  sowed  together  and  made  into  hay 
before  they  ripen  make  an  excellent  winter  feed 
for  sheep.  Blue  grass  hay,  oat  hay,  nice  corn  fod- 
der, and  bright,  fine  oat  straw  are  also  relished  by 
sheep  as  a  change.  Timothy  and  marsh  hay  should 
at  no  time  be  oll'ered  as  feed  to  sheep.  Too  much 
emphasis  cannot  be  placed  upon  this  statement, 
for  timothy  hay  with  its  coarseness  and  woodiness 
has  caused  the  loss  of  thousands  of  sheep  annually 
in  this  country  from  constipation.  Another  ob- 
jection to  timothy  hay  feeding  is  the  fact  that  the 
heads  of  the  timothy  force  themselves  into  the 
wool,  often  down  to  the  skin,  making  the  skin  itch 
very  badly  and  causing  the  sheep  to  scratch  and 
rub  on  sharp  corners.  The  timothy  in  the  wool 
also  makes  shearing  difficult,  and  wool  buyers  ob- 
ject to  such  wool  and  cut  down  on  the  price  paid 
for  it. 


Winter  Care  and  Feeding.  37 

WINTER  QUARTERS   FOR   SHEEP. 

Winter  quarters  for  sheep  should  be  of  such  a 
kind  that  the  sheep  are  dry  above  and  underfoot. 
Therefore,  when  a  sheep  barn  or  shed  is  built  it 
should  be  properly  located.  If  possible,  a  spot  of 
elevated  ground  should  be  selected  to  provide  good 
drainage  on  all  sides.  There  should  never  be  a 
time  when  water  runs  into  the  sheep  barn  during 
heavy  rains  or  when  snow  is  melting  rapidly  in 
winter.  When  sheep  are  forced,  contrary  to  their 
nature,  to  lie  down  on  a  wet  floor  in  a  barn  rheu- 
matism and  stiffness  in  legs  and  body  will  soon 
set  in.  Though  sheep  like  dry  quarters  in  winter 
they  do  not  prefer  too  warm  a  place,  as  their  coat 
of  wool  keeps  them  sufficiently  warm.  Another 
important  factor  leading  to  the  welfare  of  the  flock 
is  to  avoid  all  draughts.  Coughing,  running  at  the 
nose,  and  lung  diseases  are  often  due  to  draughts 
sweeping  through  the  barn  or  shed.  The  barn 
should  be  dry,  airy,  and  well-ventilated,  but  must 
be  free  from  draughts.  It  should  also  be  well 
lighted,  since  sheep  prefer  the  light  and  thus  do 
not  thrive  so  well  in  a  dark  place.  The  barn  must 
have  wide  doors,  so  that  the  sheep  do  not  get 
jammed  and  injured  by  rushing  through  too  nar- 
row doorways.  The  results  of  narrow  doorways 
are  broken-down  hips,  the  squeezing  and  crushing 


I'I.ATK  II.  mi  Champion  Oxford  rain,  winner  of  many  pri/es.  (b) 
Champion  Oxford  ewe  at  the  International,  1910.  Both  sheep  shown 
by  <ieor#e  McKerrow,  Pewaukee,  Wis. 


Winter  Care  and  Feeding.  39 

of  little  lambs,  and  the  abortion  of  ewes  heavy 
with  lamb. 

Again,  plenty  of  room  should  be  provided  for 
sheep.  A  close,  cramped  condition  is  very  dan- 
gerous, especially  for  pregnant  ewes.  Some  au- 
thorities say  that  from  eight  to  twelve  square  feet 
are  not  too  much  room  for  each  breeding  ewe. 
Of  course  the  amount  of  space  allowed  each  ewe; 
will  depend  somewhat  on  the  size  and  breed. 

LAMBING    PENS. 

Most  sheep  breeders  provide  a  separate  enclos- 
ure in  the  sheep  barn  which  is  divided  up  into 
several  small  pens  called  "lambing  pens."  In  these 
are  placed  the  mothers  with  their  newly  born 
lambs,  each  family  by  itself.  These  lambing  pens 
are  of  great  value  when  lambs  are  born  in  the  cold 
winter  months,  February  or  March,  and  prevent 
much  annoyance  from  ewes  disowning  their  lambs. 

EXERCISE  FOR  SHEEP   IN   WINTER. 

Too  much  emphasis  cannot  be  placed  on  the  im- 
portance of  exercise  for  pregnant  ewes.  The 
more  they  walk  and  move  about  the  stronger  and 
healthier  the  lamb  crop  will  be.  If  pregnant  ewes 
have  lots  of  exercise  they  will  deliver  their  lambs 
more  easily,  and  to  a  great  extent  this  will  prevent 
the  lambs  from  coming  wrong  end  first.  The  best 


40  Sheep  Management. 

and  most  satisfactory  way  to  get  them  to  exercise 
freely  is  to  haul  their  roughage  out  into  the  field 
and  spread  it  in  small  bunches,  so  that  they  will 
have  to  run  from  one  place  to  another  to  pick  it 
up.  John  Miller,  a  very  prominent  and  success- 
ful sheep  breeder  in  Canada,  makes  it  a  point  to 
have  his  breeding  ewes  walk  two  miles  every  day 
when  the  weather  permits.  They  leave  the  home 
farm  in  the  morning  and  walk  to  an  adjoining 
farm  one  mile  distant  where  the  hay  is  fed,  and 
then  return  again  in  the  evening. 

On  all  days  when  the  weather  is  favorable, 
breeding  ewes  should  be*  out  of  doors  for  exer- 
cise. On  all  wet,  rainy,  or  stormy  days  sheep 
should  never  be  turned  out.  The  flockmaster  must 
exercise  judgment  in  this  respect.  To  let  the  sheep 
get  their  fleeces  soaking  wet  in  the  winter  time  is 
a  grievous  mistake.  There  is  not  enough  warm 
sunshine  in  winter  to  dry  them  out  again,  and 
sheep  carrying  wet  coats  on  their  backs  are  liable 
to  contract  colds  or  pneumonia,  which  may  result 
in  death. 

Some  sheep  owners  allow  their  breeding  ewes 
to  exercise  by  picking  on  straw  stacks.  This 
method  is  not  advisable,  as  a  great  deal  of  chaff, 
dirt,  and  other  material  gets  into  their  wool.  Oth- 
ers force  their  sheep  to  make  their  entire  living  all 
winter  long  from  a  straw  stack.  Such  men  as 


Winter  Care  and  Feeding.  41 

these  cannot  expect  their  ewes  to  furnish  much 
milk  for  their  lambs  when  born,  nor  shear  a  heavy, 
clean  fleece  of  wool.  Some  winters  when  a  deep 
snow  is  on  the  ground  it  is  difficult  to  get  the  ewes 
out  from  the  barn  any  distance  at  all.  Where  a 
snow  plow  is  kept  on  the  farm  a  path  can  then  be 
made  out  into  the  field  for  sheep  to  follow7.  If 
such  a  plow  is  not  available  two  ten  or  twelve  inch 
planks  may  be  fastened  together,  like  a  stone  boat, 
the  front  end  being  pointed.  A  horse  may  then  be 
hitched  to  them,  and  the  driver  by  standing  on 
the  planks  can  make  a  path  wide  enough  to  let  the 
sheep  pass  through.  By  all  means  exercise  the 
ewes  in  some  manner,  in  order  to  insure  a  good 
lamb  crop,  for  the  good  shepherd  spares  no  eft'ort 
in  promoting  the  health  and  comfort  of  his  breed- 
ing flock.  The  careless  one  depends  largely  upon 
the  season  and  so-called  "good  luck,"  but  good 
luck  is  a  result  of  good  judgment  and  good  care. 
The  returns  in  both  cases  are  proportionate  to  the 
effort  and  care  given. 

The  best  shepherds  in  this  country  claim  that 
sheep  should  not  be  allowed  to  become  wet  from 
about  October  1  to  May  1.  On  the  days  in  winter 
when  the  cold  northwest  winds  are  sweeping  over 
the  country,  and  when  the  wind  almost  cuts  a 
man's  face,  sheep  are  much  better  off  if  kept  in  the 
barn.  When  exposed  to  these  sharp,  cold  winds 


Winter  Care  and  Feeding.  43 

their  eyes  are  affected,  a  white  film  covers  them, 
and  they  become  blind.  It  is  often  from  two  to 
three  weeks  before  their  eyes  get  well,  and  many 
flockowners  have  been  quite  alarmed  at  this  trou- 
ble. Sheep  that  are  affected  in  this  way  should 
be  isolated  from  the  flock  and  kept  in  the  barn, 
not  in  a  draught,  until  their  eyes  get  well.  A  few 
drops  of  raw  linseed  oil  put  on  the  sore  eyes  once 
a  day  will  help  them  heal. 

GESTATION    PERIOD  OF  EWES. 

Records  have  been  kept  at  this  Station  which 
show  that  the  length  of  time  that  ewes  carry  their 
lambs  varies  considerably.  These  records  have 
been  kept  for  all  the  breeding  ewes  in  the  Station 
flock,  including  many  different  breeds.  The  date 
of  service  of  each  ewe,  as  well  as  the  date  of  lamb- 
ing, has  been  recorded.  These  records,  which  ex- 
tend over  a  period  of  about  twenty  years,  show 
that  the  fine  wool  breeds  seem  to  require  a  longer 
gestation  period  than  other  breeds.  Next  to  the 
fine  wools  may  be  placed  the  Cheviots.  The  aver- 
age gestation  period  of  about  1200  ewes  on  record 
was  from  146  to  147  days.  The  largest  per  cent 
of  ewes  have  lambed  at  146  days.  In  many  in- 
stances Merinos  have  required  a  period  of  from 
150  to  154  days,  and  Cheviots  in  many  cases  a 
period  of  from  146  to  151  days.  Whenever  a  ewe 


44  Sheep  Management. 

carried  her  lamb  or  lambs  from  five  to  seven  days 
overtime  the  result  was  usually  weak  or  dead 
lambs.  After  careful  study  and  observation  the 
writer  has  been  led  to  believe  that  outdoor  life 
and  giving  ewes  all  the  exercise  possible  hastens 
the  date  of  lambing. 

The  winter  of  1910-11  was  an  unusually  mild 
one  in  Wisconsin,  especially  in  the  southern  part 
of  the  state.  Because  of  this  fine  weather  the  Sta- 
tion flock  of  breeding  ewes  could  be  turned  out 
into  a  field  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  away  from 
the  barn.  Here  the  hay  was  spread  so  they  had 
to  pick  it  up.  From  the  time  that  the  ewes 
were  bred  until  all  had  lambed  they  were  turned 
out  in  this  field  daily  on  all  but  eleven  days,  when 
they  were  kept  in  on  account  of  snowy  or  rainy 
weather.  Our  records  for  this  year  show  that  out 
of  60  ewes  which  lambed  only  ten  carried  their 
lambs  from  one  to  three  days  overtime.  Four  out 
of  the  60  dropped  their  lambs  on  the  proper  day 
as  given  for  them  in  Breeders'  Memorandums,  or 
so-called  Breeders'  Calendars,  1 17  days,  while  the 
remainder,  46  ewes,  dropped  their  lambs  at  from 
one  to  five  days  ahead  of  147  days.  All  lambs, 
whether  dropped  on  or  before  time,  were  unusu- 
ally strong  and  healthy.  The  record  for  this  year 
is  quite  different  from  that  of  former  years,  when 
on  account  of  more  snow  and  bad  weather  the 


Winter  Care  and  Feeding.  45 

Station  flock  could  not  get  as  much  exercise  and 
enjoy  as  much  outdoor  life,  showing  that  the  dif- 
ference in  the  vitality  of  the  lambs  and  the  shorter 
time  they  were  carried  must  have  been  due  to  the 
abundance  of  outdoor  life  and  exercise  the  ewes 
had. 

LAMBING  TIME,  THE  SHEPHERD'S  HARVEST. 

Lambing  is  perhaps  the  most  critical  time  of  the 
year  for  the  shepherd.  At  this  season  he  is  ex- 
pected not  only  to  be  on  strict  duty  during  the  day 
time,  but  must  also  sacrifice  a  good  share  of  his 
night's  sleep.  The  experienced  shepherd  knows 
that  his  success  and  the  percentage  of  lambs  raised 
depend  in  a  great  measure  upon  how  closely  he 
watches  with  his  flock  at  lambing  time.  In  Eng- 
land, for  the  sake  of  encouraging  the  shepherds  to 
take  the  best  care  of  their  flocks  and  new  born 
lambs,  the  owners  pay  an  extra  percentage  for  all 
lambs  raised,  in  addition  to  the  regular  month's 
wages. 

EWES  WITH  TWINS  AND  TRIPLETS. 

As  a  result  of  proper  mating  and  the  thrifty  con- 
dition of  both  ram  and  ewe  at  the  time  of  breed- 
ing in  the  fall,  a  great  many  twins  and  even  trip- 
lets may  be  expected.  When  the  lambs  begin  to 
come,  with  their  arrival  all  sorts  of  troubles  pre- 
sent themselves,  not  nearly  so  many,  however,  with 


Winter  Care  and  Feeding.  47 

the  man  who  understands  his  business  as  with  the 
man  who  is  a  beginner  in  the  work.  It  is  not  wise 
to  let  ewes  with  twins  or  triplets  remain  with  the 
whole  flock.  In  fact,  it  is  much  better  not  to  let  any 
ewes  remain  after  lambing  with  those  that  have 
not  yet  lambed,  as  the  ones  which  have  lambed 
need  more  feed.  Ewes  with  twins  or  triplets,  when 
left  with  other  sheep,  often  disown  one  of  their 
lambs.  In  the  majority  of  instances  the  stronger 
lamb  comes  first,  and  soon  after  birth  it  looks  for 
its  first  meal.  Its  mother,  however,  is  in  pains  to 
deliver  another  lamb,  and  therefore  she  will  not 
move  away  from  the  nest  which  she  has  selected 
for  lambing,  which  is  generally  in  one  corner  of 
the  barn.  Thus  the  mother  does  not  follow  her 
new-born  lamb,  but  the  other  inquisitive  sheep 
flock  around  to  see  the  newcomer  and  often  lead 
it  away.  The  new-born  lamb  thus  loses  track  of 
its  mother,  and  the  mother  likewise  loses  the  smell 
of  her  lamb  and  refuses  to  owrn  it  when  she  meets 
it  again,  since  ewes  recognize  their  lambs  only  by 
their  smell  and  voice.  Such  ewes  should,  there- 
fore, be  put  away  separately  either  in  the  lambing 
pens  or  in  a  special  place  temporarily  prepared 
for  them  by  means  of  hurdles  placed  in  corners  in 
the  barn.  Here  they  can  be  kept  for  a  couple  of 
days  until  mother  and  lambs  are  thoroughly  fa- 
miliar with  each  other. 


48  Sheep  Management. 

EWES   WITH   SINGLE  LAMBS. 

Ewes  with  single  lambs  often  disown  them  on  ac- 
count of  the  lack  of  milk  to  support  them,  caused 
by  the  fact  that  they  have  not  been  properly  fed 
before  lambing.  Young  ewes  that  have  their  first 
lambs  belong  to  this  class  in  particular.  Each  ewe 
should  be  put  by  herself  with  her  lamb  and  be 
fed  grain  and  milk-producing  succulent  feeds  to 
start  the  milk  flow.  The  lamb  which  does  not  get 
enough  milk  from  its  dam  should  in  the  meantime 
be  helped  along  by  means  of  cow's  milk  until  its 
mother  is  in  shape  to  care  for  it. 

LAMBS  BORN  WEAK. 

Once  in  a  while  a  lamb  is  born  in  a  weak  condi- 
tion. The  careful  shepherd  is  on  hand  to  assist  it 
by  lifting  it  up  to  its  mother's  udder,  putting  the 
teat  into  its  mouth,  and  drawing  some  milk  into 
the  mouth  with  his  fingers.  This  should  be  re- 
peated until  the  lamb,  after  it  has  once  had  the 
taste  of  milk  and  has  gained  strength,  is  able  to 
stand  and  drink  by  itself. 

Some  lambs,  although  they  may  be  born  strong, 
are  unable  to  find  the  mother's  teat.  Ewes  some- 
times have  their  udders  wrapped  up  in  dense  or 
long  wool,  which  makes  it  difficult  for  the  lamb  to 
find  the  teat.  This  is  especially  the  case  with 
Shropshires  and  long  wool  breeds.  In  such  in- 


Winter  Care  and  Feeding.  49 

stances  the  surplus  wool  should  be  removed  at 
once  with  the  sheep  shears,  and  the  lamb  be  as- 
sisted at  its  first  meal.  In  rare  cases  it  also  be- 
comes necessary  to  open  up  the  teat  by  squeezing 
out  the  little  wax  in  the  end  of  it. 

REVIVING  THE  ALMOST  LIFELESS  LAMB. 

Often  a  lamb  has  a  hard  struggle  at  birth  and 
arrives  in  this  new  world  almost  exhausted,  lying 
without  any  signs  of  lung  action.  The  shepherd 
has  assisted  the  ewe  in  bringing  the  lamb  forward, 
but  it  seems  to  be  almost,  yet  not  quite,  dead.  All 
that  shows  the  lamb  to  be  alive  may  be  a  single 
quiver.  Now  is  the  time  when  he  must  act  quickly 
to  revive  the  lamb.  The  first  thing  is  to  clean  all 
phlegm  out  of  its  mouth,  then  he  must  hold  the 
mouth  open  with  his  two  hands  and  blow  gently 
three  to  four  times  into  it  to  start  up  lung  action. 
Now  he  must  lay  it  on  its  belly  and  beat  it  slightly 
with  his  two  hands,  one  on  each  side  on  its  heart 
girth  right  back  of  the  shoulder,  and  if  it  does  not 
commence  to  breathe,  he  should  blow  into  its 
mouth  again.  If  there  is  the  slightest  bit  of  life 
left  in  the  lamb,  he  will  revive  the  lamb  by  this 
method.  Many  such  lambs  that  at  first  sight  ap- 
peared to  be  dead,  have  been  revived  by  the  writer 
in  this  manner. 

4 


50  Sheep  Management. 

THE   CHILLED   LAMB. 

It  is  a  matter  of  fact  that  lambs  have  been  born 
out  of  doors  at  a  temperature  down  to  zero  and 
sometimes  even  below  zero,  and  yet  have  come  out 
all  right.  However,  even  the  strongest  lamb  is 
liable  to  become  chilled  if  it  has  to  remain  for  a 
while  in  extreme  cold.  The  host  way  to  revive  a 
chilled  lamb  is  to  give  it  a  hot  bath  in  a  pail  or 
tub  of  water  ;is  warm  as  the  hand  can  well  bear. 
After  this  bath  take  a  piece  of  woolen  cloth  and 
wipe  the  lamb  dry,  which  will  tend  to  start  up  the 
circulation  of  its  blood.  Wrap  the  little  one  in  a 
warm,  dry  piece  of  cloth  and  place  it  for  a  while 
near  n  warm  stove.  When  it  luis  come  to,  a  little 
warm  milk  taken  from  its  mother  should  be  given 
it  to  encourage  strength.  A  few  drops  of  whiskey 
in  a  little  warm  water  would  be  beneficial  to  the 
youngster.  After  it  has  gained  sufficient  strength 
it  should  be  returned  to  its  mother. 

The  lamb,  however,  needs  to  be  watched  for  a 
few  days  as  it  becomes  constipated  from  the  ef- 
fects of  its  chilled  condition.  If  such  be  the  case, 
from  one-half  to  one  teaspoonful  of  castor  oil  may 
be  given  the  lamb,  depending  on  its  size.  If  one 
dose  does  not  have  the  desired  effect,  one  or  two 
more  should  be  given  until  the  bowels  move 
properly. 


Winter  Care  and  Feeding.  51 

ADOPTED   LAMBS. 

If  a  ewe  loses  her  lamb  she  may  become  a  step- 
mother. A  lamb  may  then  be  taken  away  from 
another  ewe  that  has  more  than  one  lamb,  and 
given  to  the  ewe  which  has  lost  hec  lamb.  This 
can  easily  be  done  by  skinning  the  dead  lamb  and 
putting  the  skin  on  the  lamb  that  is  to  be  adopted. 
The  odor  of  the  skin  of  the  dead  lamb  will  make 
the  ewe  believe  that  it  is  her  own.  This  skin  must 
be  removed  in  from  18  to  .">  1  hours,  or  it  may  cause 
the  lamb's  own  skin  to  decay. 

• 

Another  way  is  to  hold  a  ewe  about  every  two  to 
three  hours  and  let  the  lamb  suck,  and  she  will  own 
it  in  five  or  six  days.  The  ewe  that  is  to  adopt  the 
lamb  should  be  put  into  a  small  enclosure  or  tied 
with  a  halter  so  that  she  cannot  bunt  the  lamb, 
as  otherwise  she  may  kill  it.  The  writer  has  often 
taken  lambs  that  did  not  get  any  too  much  milk 
from  their  own  mothers  and  has  let  them  drink 
the  surplus  milk  of  ewes  with  an  overflow. 

M-WLY   LAMBED   EWES. 

All  newly  lambed  ewes  should  be  examined  for 
a  fewr  days,  both  in  the  morning  and  the  evening, 
to  see  whether  the  lamb  or  lambs  are  taking  all 
the  milk  out  of  the  udder.  It  is  peculiar  that 
some  lambs  will  only  suck  on  one  side  of  the  udder, 
and  the  milk  which  is  left  on  the  other  side  will 


52  Sheep  Management. 

cake  and  spoil  the  udder.  Often  it  takes  a  num- 
ber of  days  for  the  lamb  or  even  for  two  lambs  to 
use  up  all  the  milk.  All  this  surplus  milk  should 
either  be  taken  by  another  lamb  or  should  be 
milked  out  as  long  as  necessary  in  order  to  keep 
the  udder  from  caking. 

ASSISTING  THE  EWE  IN  LAMBING. 

In  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  shepherd  has  given 
his  fleck  the  proper  feed  and  an  abundance  of  ex- 
ercise, it  sometimes  happens  that  a  ewe  is  abso- 
lutely unable  to  deliver  her  lamb  or  lambs.  The 
ewe  may  have  difficulty  in  delivering  a  lamb  either 
because  the  lamb  is  unusually  large,  or  because 
her  passage  way  is  too  narrow,  or  because  the 
lamb  lies  in  tin-  wrong  position.  Young  ewes, 
lambing  for  the  first  time,  have  the  most  trouble 
in  this  respect. 

\Yhcn  a  lamb  has  come  forward  far  enough  so 
that  its  nose  and  front  feet  arc  at  hand,  but  its 
head  is  unable  to  pass  through,  the  ewe  must  be 
assisted.  Sometimes  the  lamb  can  be  brought  for- 
ward by  pulling  on  its  front  feet,  but  this  alone 
will  not  in  all  cases  be  sufficient.  It  often  becomes 
necessary  for  the  shepherd  to  place  one  of  his 
hands  on  the  outside  of  the  vagina  right  back  of 
the  lamb's  head  and  press  and  squeeze  the  lamb's 
head  through.  Another  good  way  recently  discov- 


Winter  Care  and  Feeding.  53 

ered  by  the  writer  is  to  smear  with  the  hand  a  lot 
of  linseed  oil  on  the  inside  of  the  vagina,  espe- 
cially where  the  lamb's  forehead  sticks.  This  will 
soften  up  the  vagina  and  allow  it  to  stretch,  and 
will  also  make  the  passage  way  more  slippery. 
The  writer  has  had  cases  where  he  feared  that 
the  lamb  could  never  be  delivered  without  cutting 
the  ewe  open,  but  after  using  linseed  oil  in  the 
manner  described  the  lamb  came  forward  at  once 
with  no  further  trouble. 

If  a  ewe  has  passed  the  water  bag  and  in  about 
two  to  three  hours  does  not  show  evidence  of 
lambing,  it  becomes  necessary  to  investigate  the 
matter,  as  the  lamb  must  be  lying  wrong,  or  be 
dead.  Before  investigating  have  your  hands 
washed  clean,  and  remove  all  long,  sharp  finger 
nails.  Put  a  little  carbolic  acid  or  perhaps  a  little 
disinfectant,  such  as  Zcnolcum  or  Creso  sheep 
dip,  into  some  warm  water,  and  scrub  your  hand 
and  arm  with  it,  so  that  they  are  thoroughly  dis- 
infected and  clean  before  beginning  the  work. 

Several  different  positions  of  the  lamb  may  be 
the  cause  of  non-parturition.  The  lamb  may  lie 
straight  across  the  passage  way,  or  with  its  front 
feet  in  the  proper  direction  but  its  head  turned 
back,  or  the  hind  end  may  come  first  and  the  hind 
legs  under  it;  or  perhaps  one  hind  leg  is  forward 
and  the  other  is  backward.  In  the  case  of  twins 


'I.ATI;  17.     How  the  ewe  is  held  when  a  lamb  is  taken  from  her,  when 
parturition   is  possible  in  no  oilier  way. 


Winter  Care  and  Feeding.  55 

or  triplets,  the  writer  has  seen  cases  where  the  legs 
and  tails  of  the  two  or  three  lambs  were  entan- 
gled, forming  a  round  ball,  so  to  speak.  In  any 
of  these  cases  the  lambs  will  have  to  be  taken  from 
the  ewe.  A  person  with  a  small  hand  can  do  this 
\\ork  most  successfully.  After  the  operator  has 
disinfected  his  hand  thoroughly  in  order  to  pre- 
tect  himself  and  the  ewe  against  blood  poisoning, 
and  has  softened  his  hand  with  sweet  oil  or  lard, 
he  will  turn  the  lamb  to  its  proper  position,  which 
should  be  head  and  front  feet  first  in  the  passage 
way.  He  must  exercise  great  care  not  to  injure  the 
ewe  after  he  has  inserted  his  hand  in  the  womb, 
or  inflammation  will  set  in. 

In  some  cases,  the  ewe  with  her  natural  pres- 
sure makes  it  impossible  for  the  operator  to  insert 
his  hand,  and  he  may  almost  give  up  hope  of  sav- 
ing the  ewe  and  lambs.  Yet  at  this  critical  moment 
the  operator  must  not  lose  his  head.  Two  men 
should  be  called  in  to  assist  him.  Place  the  ewe 
with  her  head  in  a  corner  so  that  she  cannot  go 
forward.  The  two  men  will  each  now  take  hold 
of  a  hind  leg  around  the  thigh  and  elevate  the  rear 
of  the  ewe,  as  is  shown  in  the  illustration.  The 
pressure  by  the  ewe  will  then  cease  and  the  lamb 
or  lambs  that  have  been  pressed  forward  up  to  the 
narrow  passage  will  naturally,  on  account  of  the 
elevation  of  the  rear  end  of  the  ewe,  drop  back 


PLATK  18.     Flushing  out  the  ewe  after  it  has  been  necessary  to  take 
a  lamb  away  from  her. 


Winter  Care  and  Feeding.  57 

into  the  natural  lamb  bed.  The  elevation  of  the 
ewe  prevents  her  natural  pressure  to  a  great  ex- 
tent, thus  giving  the  operator  a  chance  to  untangle 
the  lambs  and  turn  them  in  the  right  direction  and 
successfully  bring  them  to  daylight.  After  the 
lambs  have  been  taken  from  the  ewe  the  operator 
can  take  a  lump  of  pure  hog  lard,  the  size  of  a 
hen's  egg,  and  insert  it  in  the  womb  of  the  ewe, 
where  it  will  be  very  soothing  and  healing.  The 
ewe  may  be  given  a  tablespoonful  of  whiskey  with 
perhaps  a  little  gin  to  strengthen  her.  It  may  also 
be  necessary  to  flush  the  ewe  for  two  or  three 
days  once  or  twice  daily  by  means  of  a  rubber 
tube  attached  to  a  funnel,  as  shown  in  the  accom- 
panying illustration.  For  one  application  one-half 
teaspoonful  of  permanganate  of  potash  should  be 
dissolved  in  a  quart  of  warm  water.  The  above 
method  of  elevating  the  ewe  should  never  be  fol- 
lowed unless  one  is  absolutely  certain  that  par- 
turition is  possible  in  no  other  way. 

FEEDING  THE  EWE  AFTER  LAMBING. 

Some  individual  ewes  in  the  flock  are  naturally 
heavier  milkers  than  others,  and  this  class  is  the 
most  profitable  to  the  owner.  Where  ewes  have 
large  udders  the  udders  are  very  apt  to  become 
inflamed,  and  as  a  result  the  ewes  will  have  milk 
fever  if  precautions  are  not  taken  with  regard  to 


58  Sheep  Management. 

their  feeding.  Draughts  and  lying  on  wet  floors 
in  barns  are  also  responsible  for  this  trouble  in 
many  cases.  To  avoid  milk  fever  feed  the  ewe 
but  little  grain  for  three  days  after  lambing.  The 
danger  of  milk  fever  is  over  after  this  time,  and 
the  ewe  may  gradually  receive  her  full  allowance 
of  grain  again.  Roughage  and  succulent  fords  do 
not  cause  milk  fever  and  may  safely  be  fed  both 
before  and  after  lambing. 

CAKED   UDDKKS. 

A  bad  chill  or  cold,  or  a  wet  floor,  as  well  as  im- 
proper feeding,  is  enough  to  cause  inflammation 
in  the  ewe's  udder.  The  best  remedy  for  caked 
udders  is  as  follows:  I'pset  the  ewe  and  bathe 
the  udder  with  warm  water  for  about  five  min- 
utes by  means  of  a  woolen  cloth.  When  thor- 
oughly bathed,  gently  rub  it  dry  with  a  dry  cloth, 
and  rub  in  some  melted  pure  hog  lard,  using  it 
as  warm  as  the  ewe  can  stand.  This  should  be 
done  at  least  three  times  a  day.  Mercurial  oint- 
ment, or  so-called  "blue  ointment,"  can  also  be 
highly  recommended.  The  milk  that  has  caked 
in  the  udder  must  be  milked  out  as  thoroughly  as 
possible  each  time  the  application  of  water  and 
lard  is  made.  Make  sure  that  the  ewe  has  nice 
dry  bedding. 


Winter  Care  and  Feeding.  59 

EWES    WITH    SORE   TEATS. 

Sore  teats  on  ewes  are  generally  brought  about 
by  the  lambs.  These  youngsters  often  have  very 
sharp  teeth  and  in  sucking  not  only  bite  the  teat 
and  make  it  sore,  but  also  injure  part  of  the  udder. 
Ewes  with  udders  in  this  condition  refuse  to  let 
the  lambs  suck.  When  this  state  of  things  is  first 
noticed  milk  out  the  milk  from  the  udder  at  once 
in  order  to  prevent  clogging  up  and  caking.  Some 
vaseline  should  then  be  smeared  on  the  sore  spots 
at  least  three  times  ;i  day  until  cured.  Take  a  small 
file  and  file  the  front  teeth  of  the  lamb  or  lambs 
belonging  to  the  ewe.  File  them  down  smoothly 
and  make  them  somewhat  flat  on  top,  so  that  they 
cannot  bite  into  the  flesh  and  teats  of  their  moth- 
er's udder. 

TAGGING  THi:  EWES  AT  LAMBING  TIME. 

All  loose  and  filthy  wool  at  the  rear  of  the  ewe 
should  be  clipped  ott',  to  prevent  the  lambs  from 
biting  it  off  and  swallowing  it.  If  ewes  are  not 
tagged  and  the  lambs  eat  this  filthy  loose  wool 
hanging  about  the  dams  it  forms  a  sort  of  ball  in 
the  lamb's  stomach,  which  stops  the  passage  of  the 
bowels  and  brings  on  death. 


60  Sheep  Management. 

THE  SHEPHERD'S  ROOM. 

On  account  of  the  dangers  of  lambing  time  it  is 
most  essential  that  the  shepherd  be  near  the  flock 
at  all  times  during  this  period.  As  a  good  shep- 
herd must  give  up  many  hours  of  sleep  in  order  to 
raise  as  large  a  percentage  of  lambs  as  possible,  a 
small  room  should  be  provided  for  him  in  the 
sheep  barn  close  to  the  lambing  pens  so  that  he  may 
be  comfortable  during  his  weary  watch.  In  this 
room  should  be  a  cot  or  bed  upon  which  he  can  lie 
down  when  his  duty  does  not  require  him  to  be 
with  his  flock.  A  stove  should  also  be  furnished  so 
that  the  shepherd  may  keep  warm  in  cold  weather. 
By  keeping  a  teakettle  of  water  on  the  stove  he 
will  always  have  warm  water  on  hand,  which  is 
often  needed.  Otherwise,  if  he  should  find  a 
chilled  lamb  which  needs  a  warm  bath  at  once  to 
revive  it,  he  will  be  compelled  to  run  to  the  house, 
build  a  fire,  and  warm  water,  causing  serious 
delay. 

Wealthy  flockowners  have  even  more  furniture 
in  the  shepherd's  room  than  is  here  mentioned, 
(iood  shepherds  are  always  scarce,  and  if  the 
flockowner  is  fortunate  enough  to  have  such  a  one 
he  should  make  it  as  convenient  and  comfortable 
for  him  as  possible  during  lambing  time,  his  sea- 
son of  hardest  work. 


CHAPTER  IV. 
REARING  THE  LAMBS. 

Young  lambs  usually  begin  to  nibble  and  eat 
grain,  or  hay  and  other  roughage  with  their  moth- 
ers at  the  age  of  two  weeks.  At  this  time  the  lamb 
can  be  assisted  by  giving  it  some  extra  feed,  in 
addition  to  its  mother's  milk  and  the  little  other 
feed  it  may  get  in  the  regular  feeding  trough  with 
the  older  sheep.  It  is  remarkable  how  these  little 
fellows  will  grow  if  some  extra  grain  and  some 
nice  clover  or  alfalfa  hay  is  given  them.  A  few 
roots  saved  up  for  the  little  lambs  are  beyond 
valuation  for  their  growth  and  development. 

The  outcome  and  development  of  the  flock  de- 
pend largely  upon  the  care  the  lambs  get  the  first 
year.  If  the  lambs  are  stunted  then,  they  will  al- 
ways be  stunted  and  will  never  make  their  proper 
growth.  If  once  stunted  as  lambs,  no  matter  how 
much  or  what  kind  of  feed  they  may  receive 
afterwards,  their  further  development  can  not  be 
greatly  changed. 

Another  important  factor  which  promotes  the 
growth  of  lambs  is  to  keep  them  in  small  groups 
in  the  barn  with  their  mothers  after  they  have  been 
removed  from  the  lambing  pens.  The  writer  has 

(01) 


62 


Sheep  Management. 


observed  that  these  little  fellows  do  much  better 
when  so  treated  than  when  a  larger  number  is 
turned  together  when  the  lambs  are  still  real 
young. 

There  is  no  other  time  in  a  sheep's  life  when  it 
makes  such  rapid  and  economical  gains  as  in  its 


Pi  MI  1!».  '\'\\\\\  pmrlmd  sin  .ipxliir,-  hiinbs  ;i|  the  InivriNily  of 
\\ixi-oiixin.  Win  n  MIHT  months  ..Id  UK-  mm  mi  tin-  left  \\i-itihrd  X.'l 
pmmdv.  Jllld  lllr  \\rtllrl  oil  tile  I  milt  I'tT  polilldv 

first  year,  and  especially  so  in  the  first  six  months 
after  birth.  At  the  Wisconsin  Kxpcrimcnt  Station 
the  writer  has  raised  many  lambs  that  made  an 
average  gain  of  live  pounds  per  head  each  week 
up  to  the  age  of  three  months.  It  is  not  at  all  un- 
common for  lambs  to  weigh  fifty  to  sixty  pounds 
when  sixty  days  old.  The  accompanying  illustra- 
tion shows  a  pair  of  pure  bred  Shropshire  lambs. 


Rearing  the  Lamb.  63 

one  a  ram  and  the  other  a  wether,  raised  at  the 
Wisconsin  Station.  When  three  months  old  the 
ram  lamb  weighed  83  pounds  and  the  wether  67. 

The  little  extra  grain,  hay,  and  other  feed  con- 
sumed by  young  lambs  is  well  repaid,  and  feed- 
ing young  lambs  grain  has  many  advantages. 
Lambs  born  in  March  may  be  pushed  ahead  so  that 
tin  v  can  be  sold  in  May  or  early  June,  when 
they  will  bring  as  much,  or  more,  than  they  would 
bring  in  the  fall.  There  is  then  a  scarcity  of  nice, 
fat,  plump  spring  lambs  on  the  market,  and  they 
sell  all  the  way  from  nine  to  fourteen  cents  per 
pound  live  weight. 

On  April  29  in  the  spring  of  1(.)1()  at  the  Wiscon- 
sin Station  we  sold  a  grade  Dorset  lamb  to  a  local 
butcher  for  fourteen  cents  per  pound  live  weight. 
The  lamb  was  forty-five  days  old  and  weighed 
forty-five  pounds,  bringing  the  sum  of  $(>.IM).  A 
Hampshire  was  sold  May  b',  weighing  forty  pounds 
at  forty-one  days  old,  and  bringing  $.">.()().  Still 
another  Hampshire  was  sold  May  11,  weighing 
fifty  pounds  at  fifty-one  days  old,  and  brought 
*(»..">()  at  thirteen  ceius  per  pound.  If  these  same 
lambs  had  been  sold  at  Chicago  or  New  York  a 
much  higher  price  would  have  been  received  for 
them. 

When  lambs  are  fed  extra  grain  and  hay  they 
do  not  suck  their  mothers  down  so  in  condition, 


64  Sheep  Management. 

as  there  is  some  substantial  food  in  their  stom- 
achs and  they  do  not  have  to  depend  entirely  upon 
their  mother's  milk.  It  is  a  great  pleasure  to  watch 
the  little  fellows  eat  and  see  them  grow.  The 
writer,  engaged  for  many  years  entirely  in  sheep 
husbandry,  has  spent  many  five  and  ten  minutes 
extra  time  outside  of  regular  working  hours, 
watching  the  little  fellows  assembled  at  the  feed 
trough  in  the  lamb  creep  enjoying  their  grain  and 
nibbling  some  nice,  bright  hay  and  a  few  roots. 
If  they  should  want  more  feed  it  is  given  them.  It 
is  just  as  much  fun  for  the  good  shepherd  to  watch 
these  lusty,  growing,  playful  youngsters  cat  and 
play,  as  it  is  to  watch  a  ball  game. 

For  the  person  who  is  interested  in  sheep  this 
is  a  very  opportune  time  to  learn  sheep  judging. 
The  lambs  are  lined  up  close  together,  both  large 
and  small  ones,  and  their  build  and  general  make- 
up can  easily  be  studied  at  this  time.  There  is 
one  perhaps  that  is  very  wide  at  its  hind  quarters, 
but  becomes  narrower  towards  its  shoulders,  while 
right  next  to  it  there  may  be  another  one  which 
illustrates  exactly  the  reverse  shape,  being  broad 
in  front  and  narrow  behind.  One  has  a  long  neck, 
the  other  a  short  one;  another  perhaps  has  a  hump 
back  or  looks  as  if  its  legs  were  crooked  and  too 
long,  or  has  a  little  too  much  black  wool  on  its 
head.  Now  let  us  look  and  see  if  we  cannot  find 


Rearing  the  Lamb.  65 

a  few  good  ones  among  them,  some  that  are  about 
perfect.  Perhaps  at  the  middle  of  the  trough  we 
can  see  two  or  three,  or  maybe  more,  that  look 
somewhat  different  from  the  rest.  They  are  short- 
legged,  blocky  fellows,  straight  as  a  string  on  top, 
with  sides  from  one  end  to  the  other  just  as 
straight  and  square  as  a  timber  coming  out  of  a 
saw  mill.  They  have  short,  thick  necks,  and  carry 
nice,  short,  broad  heads.  The  pleased  shepherd 
realizes  that  they  are  unusually  well-built  lambs 
and  will  add  some  good  material  to  his  breeding 
flock  and  raise  it  to  a  higher  standard.  If  perhaps 
he  happens  to  be  an  exhibitor  of  sheep  bright 
prospects  loom  up  before  him.  He  now  feels  as- 
sured that  he  has  a  good  chance  of  winning  some 
prizes  with  them  at  the  county  or  state  fairs,  or 
perhaps  even  at  the  great  International  at  Chicago. 
Remember,  fellow  sheepmen,  that  prize  winners 
have  to  be  built  right,  or  rather,  born  right.  Feed 
alone  cannot  and  will  not  make  them  right. 

THE   LAMB   CREEP. 

The  feeding  of  the  lambs  should  be  commenced 
just  as  soon  as  they  will  eat.  This  can  best  be  done 
by  means  of  a  lamb  creep,  which  can  be  set  up  at 
one  side,  corner,  or  end  of  the  barn.  The  creep  is 
very  simple  in  construction  and  almost  anyone  can 
erect  one.  The  material  needed  consists  of  two 


66 


Sheep  Management. 


boards  as  long  as  desired  and  one  inch  thick  and 
six  inches  wide,  and  also  strips  or  slats,  three  feet 
long  and  one  inch  thick  by  four  inches  wide. 


20.      I,ii  mb    orrrp    and    frrd    tnuinhs    in    the    slurp    barn    at    the 
I'nivrrsity    »>f 


These  strips  are  nailed  on  the  two  six-inch  boards, 
thus  forming  a  rack  about  three  feet  high.  The 
slats  should  be  put  just  far  enough  apart  so  as  to 
let  the  lambs  slip  through  and  keep  the  old  sheep 
out,  as  is  shown  in  the  accompanying  illustration, 


Hrariny  the  Lamb. 


67 


which  shows  a  lamb  creep  in  the  interior  of  the 
sheep  barn  nt  the  I'liiversily  of  Wisconsin.  Within 
the  space,  thus  set  otV  specially  for  the  lambs,  is 
placed  a  feed  trough,  having  a  flat  bottom.  This 


-0-- 


I'IMI     I'!.      Trough   in 


niain   i*   f«  <1    to   the    young 


trough  is  constructed  iu  the  manner  shown  in  the 
cut.  The  trough  is  about  four  inches  deep  and 
nine  inches  wide  and  rests  on  legs  nailed  to  each 
<  ml.  At  each  end  of  the  trough  a  piece  of  six-inch 
board  is  nailed  on,  to  stand  up  over  the  feed  trough 
eight  inches.  On  top  of  these  two  upright  boards 
another  six-inch  board  is  nailed  across  the  entire 
1<  -nglh  of  the  trough  to  prevent  the  lambs  from 


l'i  ATI.  22.  !•"«•«•« I  trough  US«M!  :it  thr  I'nivcrsity  of  Wisconsin,  in 
\\liidi  hay  is  fed  to  voting  lumhs,  ami  l>oth  hay  and  grain  to  older 
sheep. 


$8  Sheep  Management. 

stepping  into  it  with  their  front  feet.  In  this  trough 
is  put  grain  for  the  lamhs.  A  simple  and  cheap 
hay  rack,  such  as  is  shown  in  the  cut,  is  used  to 
feed  the  hay  in.  Young  lambs  are  quite  inquisi- 
tive, and  when  sonic  grain  and  hay  are  placed  in 
the  creep,  they  will  soon  find  the  loop  holes  and 
begin  eating. 

(1HAIN   RATION    FOR   YOt  Mi   LAMHS. 

It  has  IM  <  ii  found  at  this  Station  that  a  grain 
mixture  consisting  of  two  pounds  of  wheat  bran, 
one  pound  of  oats  (whole  oats  will  do,  but  crushed 
arc  better),  one  pound  of  finely  ground  cornmcal. 
and  one-hair  pound  of  oilmeal  has  proved  an  ex- 
cellent grain  ration  for  young  lambs.  Later  in 
spring  when  the  weather  gets  warmer  the  amount 
of  cornmcal  may  be  reduced  and  the1  amount  of 
oats  increased.  Fine  second  crop  clover  or  alfalfa 
hay  will  furnish  the  best  roughage  for  young 
lambs.  If  some  roots,  such  us  turnips  or  rutabagas, 
are  available,  the  youngsters  will  soon  relish  them. 

When  the  sheep  and  lamhs  go  out  to  pasture 
the  lamb  creep  can  be  moved  out  with  them  and 
set  up  in  a  corner  where  the  lambs  will  soon  de- 
tect it  again.  Some  sheep  breeders  may  say  that 
lambs  do  not  need  any  extra  grain  when  they  are 
out  on  good  pasture  and  are  suckling  their  moth- 
ers. Experiments  conducted  along  this  line  ;it 


Rearing  the  Lamb.  69 

this  Station  have  shown,  however,  that  it  pays 
well  to  feed  a  little  grain  to  lambs  all  summer 
long.  Even  if  such  lambs  are  held  over  for  fat- 
tening in  the  winter  it  has  been  learned  that  the 
lambs  fed  grain  during  the  summer  make  more 
and  cheaper  gains  than  lambs  of  the  same  breed- 
ing and  kind  that  do  not  receive  any  grain  while 
on  pasture.  If  the  lambs  are  fed  well  during  their 
first  year  one  can  figure  on  a  well-developed  flock. 
There  is  no  danger  of  getting  them  too  fat,  either 
for  breeding  purposes  or  for  the  butcher,  if  an  ex- 
cessive use  of  fattening  grains  is  avoided.  When 
well  fed  they  grow  so  much  that  they  do  not  lay 
on  any  surplus  fat. 

Tin:  i  si:  or  cow's  MILK  i  OK  LAM  us. 

Many  people  have  made  a  failure  of  Irving  to 
raise  lambs  on  cow's  milk.  Lambs  may  be  suc- 
cessfully reared  on  such  milk,  however,  if  the 
proper  precautions  are  taken  in  feeding.  Young 
lambs  are  easily  taught  to  drink  cow's  milk  from 
a  bottle  with  a  rubber  nipple  attached  to  it,  and 
after  they  have  once  tasted  the  milk  they  will 
quickly  and  freely  run  to  the  person  carrying  the 
bottle.  The  next  plate  shows  how  easily  lambs 
may  be  taught  to  drink  from  the  bottle.  They  may 
also  be  taught  to  drink  out  of  a  dipper.  The  reason 
why  so  many  people  have  been  unsuccessful  in 


70  Sheep  Management. 

raising  lambs  by  hand  is  in  most  cases  that  they 
did  not  understand  the  difference  between  cow's 
milk  and  sheep's  milk  as  regards  richness  and  fat 
percentage.  People  have  a  general  idea  that  pure 
cow's  milk  is  too  rich  for  lambs,  but  the  writer  is 
of  a  contrary  opinion.  He  knows  from  analyses 


'I.ATI:  2.'{.  One  lamb  is  happy,  the  other  wishes  his  turn  \\mild 
come.  1'iire-bred  Southdown  lambs  raised  on  the  bottle  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Wisconsin. 

of  sheep's  milk  that  cow's  milk  is  much  lower  in 
fat  percentage  than  sheep's  milk.  Some  years  ago 
at  this  College  a  grade  Dorset  ewe  showed  in  a 
week's  test  14.4  per  cent  of  fat.  Of  course,  her 
milk  was  richer  than  the  average.  It  is  astonish- 
ing to  hear  fairly  well  educated  men  say  that  one 


Rearing  the  Lamb.  71 

cannot  feed  cow's  whole  milk  to  lambs  because  it 
is  too  rich  and  will  kill  them.  Such  expressions 
of  opinion  seem  laughable  to  the  writer. 

RAISING  LAMBS  BY   HAND. 

Raising  lambs  by  hand  is  not  generally  a  very 
profitable  undertaking.  Unless  the  lamb  to  be  so 
raised  is  an  exceptionally  good  one  or  a  pure  bred, 
it  hardly  pays  to  spend  the  time  required,  espe- 
cially considering  the  present  high  price  of  milk. 
The  writer  has,  however,  raised  quite  a  number 
of  lambs  by  hand,  some  of  which  made  good  and 
were  pri/e  winners  at  the  International  Show  at 
Chicago.  The  lamb  raised  by  hand  has  one  ad- 
vantage over  its  cousin  suckling  its  dam.  When 
the  milk  flow  of  the  mother  begins  to  cease  the 
hand-reared  lamb  may  still  get  a  full  measure  of 
milk,  and  the  amount  fed  can  be  increased  as  the 
lamb  grows  in  size,  providing  plenty  of  milk  is 
available. 

There  is  more  than  one  reason  why  some  peo- 
ple have  been  unable  to  raise  lambs  by  hand.  One 
important  reason  is  that  they  have  not  studied  the 
instincts  of  the  lamb  and  its  mother.  When  the 
lamb  suckles  its  mother  it  takes  a  little  milk  every 
little  while,  and  this  milk  is  warm  and  comes  from 
a  clean  udder.  When  beginning  to  feed  the  young 
lamb  on  cow's  milk  the  following  points  should  be 


72  Sheep  Management. 

observed :  First,  the  milk  should  be  taken  from  a 
cow  whose  milk  tests  high  in  fat.  Second,  for  the 
first  three  or  four  weeks  the  milk  from  this  one 
selected  cow  only  should  be  fed  to  the  lamb. 
Third,  for  the  first  few  days  and  nights  the  lamb 
should  be  fed  every  two  to  three  hours,  and  a 
small  amount  (say  two  or  three  tablespoonfuls, 
with  a  gradual  increase)  given  it  each  time,  so  as 
not  to  overload  its  stomach.  Fourth,  the  milk 
should  be  warmed  up  to  92  degrees  Fahrenheit, 
which  is  about  the  warmth  of  sheep's  milk.  Care 
must  be  taken  not  to  let  the  milk  boil  as  this 
causes  constipation.  Fifth,  the  bottle  and  nipple 
should  be  thoroughly  washed  each  time  after  use 
so  as  to  prevent  the  collection  of  sour  matter  in 
them,  which  in  time  may  poison  the  lamb.  When 
the  lamb  is  first  born  it  is  delicate  and  has  a  rather 
weak  stomach,  and  therefore  great  care  must  be 
exercised  in  rearing  it  by  hand.  Later  on  when  it 
has  become  a  month  or  so  old  the  task  is  not  such 
a  difficult  one. 

MAKKlNCi  THi:  LAM  US. 

Ill  all  pure-bred  flocks  at  least,  all  lambs  should 
be  marked,  in  order  to  keep  the  breeding  records 
straight  and  to  avoid  mistakes  when  the  time 
comes  to  have  the  lambs  registered.  It  is  a  com- 
mon statement  among  some  sheep  breeders  that 


Rearing  the  Lamb. 


73 


lambs  should  not  be  marked  when  very  young,  be- 
cause the  ear  label,  they  believe,  will  make  the 
lamb's  ear  hang  downward  instead  of  remaining 
erect.  This  idea  is  false.  At  this  Station  all  lambs 
are  marked  either  the  first  or  second  day  after 
birth,  and  they  surely  carry  their  ears  just  as  high 
and  erect  as  if  they  had  no  label  in  them.  Where 


PIATB  21.     Marking  the   lamb   \\ith   the   Dana   car  label. 

marking  is  done  when  the  lambs  are  very  young 
it  saves  the  owner  much  time  and  prevents  mis- 
takes. It  means  a  great  deal  of  work  later  on  to 
find  the  ewes  and  lambs  that  belong  together  if 
marking  the  lambs  is  postponed,  and  moreover 
mistakes  may  have  already  been  made  in  regis- 
tering such  lambs.  It  is  much  better  to  mark  them 


74  Sheep  Management. 

when  young  because  of  the  time  saved  in  doing 
so,  and  above  all  because  of  the  assurance  of  keep- 
ing the  record  of  breeding  straight. 

When  inserting  the  label  into  the  lamb's  ear  be 
careful  to  cut  the  hole  between  the  veins  so  as  to 
prevent  bleeding.  The  Dana  Ear  Label  has  given 
very  good  satisfaction  for  marking  lambs  at  this 
Station.  The  preceding  illustration  shows  the 
manner  in  which  the  hunb  is  held  when  the  mark- 
ing is  done.  Another  way  to  mark  lambs  is  to 
tatoo  their  ears,  but  the  writer  does  not  consider 
this  method  nearly  as  good  as  using  the  ear  label. 

CASTHATINCi    LAMMS. 

No  intelligent  sheep  breeder  will  allow  his  buck 
lambs  to  run  without  having  them  castrated.  Only 
pure-bred  buck  lambs  intended  for  breeding  pur- 
poses are  exempt  from  castration.  The  writer 
wishes  he  could  use  words  strong  enough  to  make 
those  who  have  not  operated  on  their  lambs  in 
the  past  appreciate  the  good  results  obtained  from 
castrating  them,  and  the  evil  results  sure  to  fol- 
low when  this  is  neglected.  As  a  rule,  at  about 
the  age  of  three  to  four  months  buck  lambs  begin 
to  know  that  they  are  males,  get  restless,  lose  flesh, 
and  as  fall  approaches  become  worse,  jumping  and 
riding  each  other,  and  hence  getting  in  a  thin  con- 
dition, while  castrated  lambs  get  fat.  When  these 


Rearing  the  Lamb.  75 

buck  lambs  come  to  market  in  thin  condition  and 
with  their  testicles  in  them,  which  gives  a  strong 
taste  to  their  meat,  they  will  sell  for  $1.50  to 
$2.00  less  per  hundred  pounds  than  lambs  of  the 
same  age  which  have  been  castrated.  Now  flock- 
masters,  is  this  difference  in  price  not  sufficient 
to  set  you  to  thinking  and  to  make  you  decide  to 
use  the  knife  on  your  buck  lambs  in  the  future? 
At  least  the  writer  hopes  that  such  will  be  the  case. 

MI-TIIOI)  OF  CASTRATION. 

Castration  is  not  dangerous,  if  a  little  care  is 
taken.  Lambs  can  be  castrated  most  easily  and 
without  much  pain  if  the  operation  is  performed 
when  they  are  from  one  to  two  weeks  old.  Choose 
a  nice,  bright  day,  not  a  rainy,  cold,  or  damp  day. 
Select  all  lambs  from  the  flock  that  are  to  be  cas- 
trated, and  fence  them  off'  in  one  end  of  the  barn, 
providing  it  is  done  before  going  out  to  pasture. 
See  that  the  barn  is  nicely  bedded  with  clean 
straw.  Mix  a  little  disinfectant,  such  as  carbolic 
acid  or  Zenoleum,  in  some  clean,  warm  water,  and 
disinfect  your  hands  and  knife  in  it.  Then  begin 
the  work.  First  feel  and  make  sure  that  both  tes- 
ticles have  come  down.  Any  lamb  whose  testicles 
have  not  both  come  down  should  be  left  alone 
until  they  have  both  come  down.  Cut  off  one- 
third  of  the  lower  end  of  the  bag,  as  is  shown  in 


Rearing  the  Lamb.  77 

the  illustration,  which  will  leave  the  testicles  partly 
exposed.  Draw  them  out  either  with  your  fingers 
or  a  pair  of  pinchers.  All  fat  and  loose  skin  should 
be  left  in  and  worked  back  with  one  hand.  The 
entire  cord  should  be  pulled  out,  not  cut  off.  Pour 
a  little  disinfectant  in  the  two  holes  from  which 
the  testicles  have  been  removed,  and  then  lift  the 
lamb  over  the  partition  to  its  mother.  The  reason 
for  fencing  off  the  lambs  is  this:  When  lambs 
have  been  castrated  they  are  unable  to  run,  and 
generally  lie  down.  If  mothers  and  lambs  are  left 
together  the  lambs  may  get  hurt  by  having  their 
mothers  run  over  them  when  the  shepherd  is 
catching  other  lambs.  The  operator  can  perform 
the  neatest  and  cleanest  job,  if  accustomed  to  do 
it,  by  pulling  the  testicles  by  means  of  his  teeth. 
In  nearly  all  foreign  countries  no  lambs  are  cas- 
trated  in  any  other  way.  If  a  lamb  has  grown 
quite  old  and  the  cord  is  too  strong  to  be  pulled 
it  may  be  scraped  off  back  of  the  testicle;  this  will 
prevent  bleeding.  Whenever  possible,  castrating 
the  lambs  should  be  done  in  the  morning,  and 
every  disturbance  of  the  flock  should  be  avoided 
during  that  day. 

DOCKING   LAMIiS. 

All  lambs  should  be  docked,  ewe  lambs  when 
they  are  from  eight  to  fourteen  days  old,  and  ram 
lambs  from  five  to  seven  days  after  castration. 


Rearing  the  Lamb.  79 

When  this  is  neglected  flockmasters  will  suft'er  the 
loss  of  from  twenty-five  to  fifty  cents  per  hundred 
pounds  on  lamhs  when  sold  on  the  market,  in 
proportion  to  the  amount  of  dirt  collected  on  the 
tails.  We  will  not  speak  at  all  about  the  attract- 
iveness of  a  bunch  of  lambs  that  are  uniformly 
docked.  Docking  sheep  prevents  the  accumula- 
tion of  a  great  deal  of  filth  at  their  rears,  and  con- 
sequently to  a  great  extent  keeps  them  from  be- 
coming infested  with  maggots,  especially  the  fe- 
males. The  fact  that  many  ewes  do  not  get  with 
lamb  at  all  is  due  to  their  not  being  docked.  Many 
flockowners  are  afraid  to  dock  their  lambs  because 
they  believe  they  will  bleed  to  death.  No  danger 
need  be  feared,  however,  if  the  operator  is  at  all 
careful. 

There  is  more  than  one  way  to  dock  lambs. 
Their  tails  may  be  cut  oil'  with  a  sharp  jack-knife. 
It  used  to  be  the  custom  to  chop  them  oil'  on  a 
block  by  means  of  a  chisel  and  mallet.  When 
either  of  these  methods  is  used  the  lambs  lose 
blood,  especially  the  fleshier  ones,  and  in  very 
many  instances  die  from  excessive  bleeding. 

If  the  lamb's  tail  is  to  be  cut  oil'  the  preferable 
way  is  to  use  a  sharp  knife  rather  than  the  chisel 
and  mallet.  One  man  must  hold  the  lamb.  The 
operator  by  feeling  on  the  side  of  the  tail  can  de- 
tect where  the  joints  are.  He  should  push  the  skin 


80  Sheep  Management. 

on  the  tail  back  toward  the  body  of  the  lamb,  so 
as  to  leave  some  surplus  skin  to  grow  over  the 
stub,  and  then  cut  the  tail  at  a  joint  about  one 
and  one-half  inches  from  the  body.  This  cut 
should  be  made  so  quickly  with  the  sharp  knife 
that  the  lamb  scarcely  knows  that  its  tail  is  off. 
If  any  particular  lamb  should  bleed  too  much  a 
piece  of  cord  or  binding  twine  may  be  tied  very 
tightly  on  its  tail  close  to  the  body.  This  will  put 
an  end  to  the  flow  of  blood,  and  the  cord  may  be 
removed  from  the  lamb  in  about  eight  to  ten  hours. 
Docking  with  the  knife  should  be  done  in  the 
morning,  so  that  the  lambs  can  be  watched  to  see 
how  they  are  getting  along.  The  writer  knows  of 
some  men  who  performed  this  work  in  the  even- 
ing and  the  next  morning  found  several  of  their 
lambs  dead,  due  to  great  loss  of  blood.  In  cool 
weather  nothing  need  be  put  on  the  wound,  but 
in  warm  weather  and  in  fly  time  some  pine  tar 
should  be  applied  in  order  to  keep  the  flies  and 
maggots  off. 

Docking  with  pinchers  is  highly  recommended. 
The  plate  on  page  7<S  shows  the  method  of  dock- 
ing a  lamb  with  pinchers,  and  Plate  27  shows  a 
lamb  which  has  just  been  docked.  Ever  since 
Joseph  E.  Wing  invented  these  pinchers  the  writer 
has  altogether  abandoned  the  use  of  the  knife  for 
this  purpose.  By  using  the  hot  pinchers  no  danger 


Rearing  the  Lamb. 


81 


need  be  feared  from  loss  of  blood.  Older  sheep 
than  lambs  can  be  very  successfully  docked  with 
pinchers.  While  it  is  perhaps  a  little  painful  for 
the  lamb  at  the  time,  if  done  rightly  not  a  drop  of 
blood  is  lost,  and  after  a  few  hours  the  lamb  jumps 
and  runs  about  as  if  nothing  had  happened  to  it. 


PLATE  27.     The  proper  way  to  hold  a  lamb  while  it  is  being  docked 
or   castrated. 

The  pinchers  can  be  heated  nearly  red  hot  in  a 
common  stove  or  in  a  blast  torch,  such  as  the  tin- 
smith uses.  Nine  to  ten  lambs  can  be  docked  be- 
fore heating  the  pinchers  a  second  time.  This 
method  of  docking  is  a  great  relief  to  the  shep- 
herd, since  he  does  not  need  to  worry  for  fear  any 
of  his  lambs  will  lose  too  much  blood  and  die.  It 
also  does  away  with  all  the  squirting  of  blood  over 


82  Sheep  Management. 

the  barn  and  over  the  ewe's  face  and  wool.  There 
will  also  be  no  lost  blood  to  be  restored  by  feed, 
since  it  requires  just  so  much  blood  to  maintain 
a  lamb.  While  the  healing  process  of  the  tail  is 
somewhat  slower  than  if  cut  with  a  knife,  never- 
theless, taking  all  into  consideration,  this  method 
proves  more  satisfactory  in  the  end.  In  warm 
weather,  just  as  in  the  case  of  cutting  with  the 
knife,  put  pine  tar  on  the  wound,  in  order  to  avoid 
maggots. 

On  the  western  ranges  where  large  numbers  of 
lambs  are  raised  annually  a  general  so-called 
"round-up"  is  made,  at  which  castrating  and  dock- 
ing is  done  at  the  same  time.  The  ranchman  saves 
time  and  labor  in  doing  this  work  all  at  once,  but 
this  is  no  reason  why  the  smaller  flockowner 
should  follow  his  example.  When  both  opera- 
tions are  performed  at  once,  it  naturally  gives  the 
lamb  a  great  shock  and  setback.  The  large  flock- 
owncr of  the  West  may  perhaps  save  enough  time 
by  performing  both  operations  at  once  to  pay  for 
the  loss  of  lambs,  especially  since  range  lambs  are 
not  worth  so  much  per  head  as  the  better  grade  of 
lambs  owned  on  the  smaller  farms.  The  smaller 
flockowner,  however,  cannot  afford  to  follow  his 
example. 


Rearing  the  Lamb.  83 

WEANING  THE  LAMBS. 

The  idea  prevalent  among  flockmasters  that 
lambs  should  wean  themselves  is  in  many  ways 
not  a  good  one.  When  a  lamb  has  had  its  moth- 
er's milk  from  four  and  one-half  to  five  months 
it  is  best  to  wean  it.  The  breeding  ewe  is  continu- 
ously laboring  for  her  young  from  the  time  of  con- 
ception, and  if  the  lamb  is  not  weaned  from  her 
before  breeding  time  comes  again  she  does  not 
have  a  chance  to  rest  at  all.  This  rest,  however, 
is  very  necessary  for  preserving  her  vitality  and 
health.  It  has  also  hern  found  that  it  is  much  bet- 
ter for  tlu4  lamb  to  be  weaned  at  the  age  of  about 
five  mouths.  The  lambs  can  then  be  turned  on  a 
fresh  pasture  by  themselves  where  they  do  not 
draw  any  more  parasites  from  the  excrements  of 
their  dams. 

The  best  way  to  proceed  is  to  take  the  lambs 
away  from  the  ewes,  turn  them  on  some  fresh 
pasture,  and  not  allow  them  to  get  back  to  their 
mothers  again.  Some  flockmen  allow  the  lambs 
to  go  back  to  their  mothers  after  two  or  three  days 
in  order  to  remove  the  milk  that  has  accumulated 
in  the  udder  during  the  lamb's  absence  from  its 
mother.  This  practice,  however,  is  a  poor  one. 
Milk  collected  in  the  udder  by  a  worrying  ewe 
after  her  lamb  has  been  taken  from  her  is  abnor- 
mal and  has  often  done  damage  to  the  lamb. 


84  Sheep  Management. 

Ewes  and  lambs  find  their  first  parting  very 
bitter  and  they  bleat  for  two  days  and  nights  until 
they  finally  forget  each  other.  When  the  lambs 
are  turned  back  again  to  milk  out  the  ewes  the  old 
relationship  is  renewed,  and  it  becomes  hard  for 
them  to  part  a  second  time,  to  say  nothing  of  the 
work  of  separating  them. 

CARE   OF   THE    LAMBS    AFTER    WEAN  INT.. 

When  the  lambs  have  been  weaned  they  should 
have  the  run  of  some  good,  fresh  pasture.  The 
lambs  will  greatly  enjoy  grazing  on  land  win-n- 
one crop  of  hay  has  been  cut  and  the  new  grass 
is  coming  up  again,  or  on  a  piece  of  rape  that  has 
been  sown  in  early  spring.  By  turning  them  on 
new  pasture  the  danger  of  stomach  worms  and 
other  parasites  is  avoided  to  a  large  measure, 
(iood,  clean  pasture1  is  also  necessary  for  them  in 
order  to  avoid  a  check  in  their  growth,  as  a  result 
of  the  loss  of  their  mother's  milk. 

CARE    OF   THE    EWE    AFTER    WEANIMi. 

After  the  lambs  have  been  taken  from  the  ewe 
great  care  must  be  taken  to  prevent  the  udder  of 
the  ewe  from  caking.  Many  mistakes  are  made  in 
this  regard.  The  best  producing  ewes  in  the  flock 
are  the  ones  that  generally  have  their  udders 
caked,  for  the  reason  that  they  continue  to  give 


PLATE  28.     Milking  a  ewe  with  two  hands  to  hasten  the  work. 


8f>  Sheep  Management. 

milk  and  this  milk  is  not  removed.  While  some 
ewes,  as  elsewhere  stated,  do  not  furnish  their 
lambs  very  much  milk  at  weaning  time,  others 
still  have  an  abundance.  Some  ewes  may  be  dried 
up  in  a  few  days,  while  others  require  a  couple  of 
weeks  time  to  dry  them  up.  In  either  case  they 
should  be  given  just  as  much  attention  as  is  given 
to  cows  when  they  are  being  dried  off.  The  re- 
duction in  milk  may  be  hastened  along  by  putting 
the  ewes  on  scant  pasture  for  a  few  days. 

The  method  of  drying  up  ewes  practiced  by  the 
writer  is  as  follows:  On  a  nice,  cool  morning 
when  there  is  a  prospect  of  having  cool  weather 
for  a  few  days  the  lambs  are  all  separated  from 
the  ewes.  The  ewes  are  then  put  on  scanty  pas- 
ture. The  next  day  all  the  e\ves  are  collected  to- 
gether in  a  fence  corner  in  the  field.  One  is  caught 
and  milked  out,  two  hands  being  used  to  hasten 
the  work,  as  is  shown  in  the  preceding  illustra- 
tion. Milking  the  ewe  with  two  hands  is  ac- 
complished by  bringing  her  rear  up  against  a 
fence,  so  she  cannot  go  backward,  and  placing  the 
two  knees  against  her  shoulders  to  prevent  her 
from  going  forward.  When  partly  milked  out, 
just  enough  to  keep  the  udder  soft,  she  is  turned 
loose  and  the  next  one  is  treated  in  the  same  way, 
and  so  on  until  all  have  been  gone  over.  After 
two  days'  time  they  are  again  milked  out  in  the 


Rearing  the  Lamb.  #7 

same  manner.  Some  ewes  do  not  need  any  more 
attention  after  the  second  milking.  Such  ewes  are 
marked  on  their  backs  with  blue  chalk  to  indicate 
that  they  are  dry.  Three  more  days  should  elapse 
before  the  next  milking  is  done,  and  all  those  dry 
are  check-marked.  Another  five  days  pass  by  and 
still  a  few  more  ewes  have  to  be  milked  out.  This 
is  generally  the  last  time  they  are  milked  out, 
with  the  exception  perhaps  of  one  or  two  who  are 
extremely  heavy  milkers.  In  this  way  not  a  single 
udder  will  be  spoiled. 


CHAPTER  V. 

SHEARING  AM)  DIPPING  THE  FLOCK. 

When  warm  weather  comes  on,  floekowners 
should  begin  to  think  about  shearing  their  sheep. 
In  the  Eastern,  Middle,  and  Southern  Stales,  shear- 
ing commences  about  April  1  in  most  instances. 
Sheep  in  the  Western  States  are,  however,  sheared 
somewhat  later.  Of  course  the  time  of  shearing 
will  depend  largely  upon  the  weather,  the  season, 
and  the  locality.  Some  sheepowners  wait  much 
later  than  the  date  mentioned  for  they  know  that 
when  sheep  are  sheared  real  late  in  the  season 
and  after  they  have  been  on  grass  for  a  long  time 
they  have  more  yolk  in  their  wool  and  hence 
shear  a  heavier  fleece  than  when  they  are  sheared 
early.  The  writer  has  known  of  cases  where  sheep 
wen-  compelled  to  carry  their  heavy  coals  as  late 
as  the  middle  of  June,  through  the  hottest  kind  of 
weather,  all  because  an  increase  of  yolk  and  a 
heavier  fleece  were  desired.  It  is  true  that  the 
wool  will  contain  more  yolk  when  the  sheep  have 
been  on  grass  for  a  long  time  previous  to  shear- 
ing, but  there  are  disadvantages  which  more  than 
counterbalance  this  fact.  Often  while  floekown- 
ers are  waiting  for  an  increase  of  yolk  in  the  wool 

(89) 


90  Sheep  Management. 

the  sheep  will  lose  part  of  the  wool  on  their  bel- 
lies, necks  and  rears.  Just  as  apples  will  drop  off 
the  tree  when  they  are  ripe,  wool  on  sheep  will 
fall  off  when  ripe. 

Moreover,  when  hot  weather  comes  on  while 
the  sheep  are  still  unshorn  they  will  suffer  greatly 
from  the  heat,  and  for  this  reason  will  lose  flesh 
rapidly.  When  sheep  are  put  on  grass,  owing  to 
the  resultant  looseness  of  their  bowels,  their  fleeces 
may  get  soiled,  which  lowers  the  quality  of  the 
fleece  and  also  makes  shearing  disagreeable. 

The  cruelty  of  allowing  the  unshorn  sheep  to 
suffer  from  the  heat  should  also  be  considered.  It 
seems  pitiful  to  see  sheep  lying  by  the  side  of  a 
fence  with  their  mouths  wide  open  and  tongues 
hanging  out,  panting  and  suffering  from  heat  in 
the  hot  weather,  simply  because  the  owner  is  wait- 
ing for  an  increase  of  yolk  and  a  heavier  fleece. 
If  flockmasters  would  only  consider  for  a  moment 
that  the  loss  of  flesh  and  body  weight  and  the  dan- 
ger of  the  shedding  of  wool  is  far  greater  than 
any  possible  gain  in  yolk,  then  such  foolish  ideas 
would  not  so  generally  prevail.  It  is  therefore 
clear  that  when  the  weather  begins  to  get  warm 
sheep  ought  to  be  freed  from  their  heavy  winter 
clothes,  and  an  intelligent  sheep  breeder  never 
thinks  of  waiting  for  more  yolk.  If  sheep  are  fed 
as  they  ought  to  be  during  the  winter,  a  good 


Shearing  and  Dipping  the  Flock.  91 

amount  of  yolk  will  surely  be  found  in  their  wool 
when  they  are  sheared,  without  waiting  for  grass 
to  put  yolk  into  it.  Washing  before  shearing  is 
no  longer  practiced  since  the  woolen  mills  can 
clean  the  wool  much  better  and  more  cheaply 
than  the  sheepman. 

Shearing  is  now  done  mostly  with  machines, 
which  are  great  improvements  over  hand  shears. 
The  shearing  machine  has  the  following  advan- 
tages over  the  hand  shears:  First,  the  work  is 
done  more  rapidly  than  with  a  hand  shears;  sec- 
ond, it  is  a  neater  and  smoother  job;  third,  sheep 
are  not  cut  into  nearly  as  much  as  with  a  hand 
shears;  fourth,  it  is  easier  to  learn  shearing  with 
the  machine;  fifth,  using  a  shearing  machine  is 
not  so  hard  on  the  shearer's  wrist  as  using  a  hand 
shears;  and  sixth,  a  larger  amount  of  wool  is  ob- 
tained because  the  sheep  can  be  clipped  closer. 
When  a  man  is  once  familiar  with  the  use  of  the 
machine  he  can  shear  many  more  sheep  a  day, 
and  he  can  hardly  be  induced  to  go  back  to  the 
use  of  the  hand  shears.  A  careless  shearer  should 
not  be  employed  to  shear  either  with  hand  shears 
or  with  a  machine,  for  a  rough,  careless  man  can 
hurt  the  sheep  badly  by  either  method.  Such  a 
shearer,  however,  will  cut  the  sheep  worse  with  a 
machine  than  with  the  hand  shears.  If  the  cutter 
is  held  down  too  far  on  one  side  a  furrow  is  plowed 


92 


Sheep  Management. 


through  the  sheep's  skin.  Some  shearers  who  are 
not  careful  when  performing  this  work  cut  off  the 
ends  of  the  teats  of  ewes,  which  spoils  them  for 


PLATE  30.     Shruring  sheep  with  a  shearing  machine  at  the  I  niversity 
of  Wisconsin. 


nursing  lambs.  Others  cut  oil'  the  end  of  the 
vagina,  which,  it  is  claimed  by  some  authorities, 
stops  them  from  further  breeding.  Such  men  as 


Shearing  and  Dipping  the  Flock.  93 

these   should   certainly  not  be  allowed   to   shear 
sheep. 

In  older  countries  shearers  tie  up  all  four  legs 
of  the  sheep  to  prevent  it  from  struggling.  This 
old-fashioned  way,  however,  should  not  be  prac- 
ticed in  America.  A  sheep,  if  properly  held,  can- 
not do  a  great  deal  of  struggling.  Just  how  to  hold 
the  sheep  in  the  many  different  positions  neces- 
sary while  shearing  it  could  hardly  be  fully  ex- 
plained, but  must  be  learned  through  actual  prac- 
tice. The  best  way  for  the  beginner  to  learn  how 
to  hold  and  shear  sheep  is  to  watch  an  expert 
shear  a  few  sheep.  It  may  be  stated,  however, 
that  in  every  position  the  sheep  must  be  held  so 
as  to  draw  the  skin  tight  where  the  shearer  is 
working.  The  sheep  should  also  always  be  held  in 
the  most  comfortable  position  instead  of  in  the 
cramped  positions  in  which  some  shearers  hold 
sheep.  One  of  the  positions  in  which  the  sheep 
is  held  while  being  sheared  is  shown  in  the  ac- 
companying illustration. 

TYING   UP   THE   FLEECE. 

The  fleeces  should  be  neatly  tied  up  in  order  to 
make  them  look  attractive  to  the  buyer.  The  side 
of  the  fleece  which  was  next  to  the  sheep's  skin 
should  be  placed  on  the  outside  when  the  fleece 
is  tied  up,  in  such  a  way  that  no  parts  of  the  for- 


94  Sheep  Management. 

mer  exterior  of  the  fleece  when  on  the  sheep  are 
seen  in  the  bundle.  This  can  be  done  very  easily 
by  a  good  shearer,  as  he  should  be  able  to  take  off 
a  fleece  from  a  sheep  all  in  one  piece,  like  an  over- 
coat, with  the  exception,  perhaps,  of  the  belly 
piece.  Regular  wool  twine  should  be  used  in  tying 
up  the  wool.  Binder  twine  or  other  sharp  cord 
should  never  be  used,  as  small  bits  of  fiber  get 
into  the  wool  and  must  be  picked  out  by  hand 
since  they  do  not  take  dyes.  Therefore  manufact- 
urers object  seriously  to  the  use  of  such  twine,  and 
make  a  reduction  in  the  price  of  the  wool  if  it  is 
used.  All  filthy  parts  on  the  fleece,  if  there  should 
be  any  at  all,  should  be  separated  at  the  time  the 
fleece  is  tied  up  and  never  tied  up  with  the  fleece, 
for  a  man  can  fool  a  buyer  but  once. 

A  wool  buyer  once  told  the  writer  about  a  man 
from  whom  lie  had  bought  very  heavy  fleeces  of 
wool.  On  closer  examination  lie  found  that  the 
fleeces  had  been  sprinkled  with  sand  at  the  time 
of  tying  them  up,  to  make  them  heavier  in  weight. 
Another  man  had  tied  up  a  sheep's  skin  in  a  fleece. 
Still  others  had  turned  their  sheep  out  during  a 
rain  in  order  to  increase  the  weight  of  wool.  All 
such  tricks  as  these  arc  soon  disclosed,  and  in  the 
future  work  strongly  against  the  men  who  perform 
them.  Therefore,  brother  sheepmen,  always  be 
honest  and  do  not  be  guilty  of  such  trickery,  for 


Shearing  and  Dipping  the  Flock. 


95 


you  will  find  that  honesty  is  always  the  best  policy. 
A  wool  box  may  be  used  in  tying  up  the  fleeces, 
the  use  of  which  will  add  greatly  to  their  attract- 
iveness. The  accompanying  illustration  shows  a 
well  tied  fleece,  lying  on  the  wool  box  by  means  of 


PLATE  31.     An  unusually  heavy  fleece,   weighing  17.25  pounds,  taken 
from  a  Shropshire  ram  at  the  University  of  Wisconsin. 

which  it  was  tied.  However,  wool  buyers  prefer 
to  have  the  fleeces  tied  up  neatly  without  the  use 
of  the  wool  box,  as  less  twine  is  then  used.  If  one 
is  careful  in  removing  the  fleece  from  the  sheep  a 
fleece  may  be  tied  up  in  a  satisfactory  manner 
without  the  use  of  the  wool  box. 


96  Sheep  Management. 

SHEARING  EWES  BEFORE  OR  AFTER  LAMBING. 

When  ewes  have  been  bred  late  in  the  fall,  which 
of  course,  brings  them  to  lamb  late  in  the  spring, 
they  can  be  sheared  before  lambing.  Shearing  the 
ewes  before  lambing  has  the  following  advantages: 
Ewes  sheared  before  coming  in  keep  much  cleaner 
at  the  rear  than  those  with  their  wool  on.  There 
is  also  no  danger  of  lambs  biting  olT  wool  from 
their  mothers  and  swallowing  it,  which  will  cause 
balls  of  wool  to  form  in  their  intestines,  thus  stop- 
ping up  the  bowels  and  killing  the  lambs.  When 
the  ewes  a  IT  shorn  lambs  will  find  their  mother's 
teats  more  easily,  and  the  time  taken  to  trim  the 
wool  away  around  the  udder  is  saved.  An- 
other point  in  favor  of  shearing  before  lambing 
is  the  fact  that  ewes  with  their  coats  on  often  re- 
main outdoors  during  rains  or  severe  cold,  and 
their  lambs  naturally  stay  at  their  side.  The  old 
sheep,  being  well  protected  by  their  fleeces,  do 
not  mind  the  rain  or  the  cold,  but  the  young  lamb 
with  its  short  wool  gets  chilled  or  \vel  to  the  skin 
and  catches  cold,  this  often  bringing  on  pneu- 
monia and  finally  resulting  in  the  death  of  the 
lamb.  On  the  other  hand,  if  the  old  sheep  have 
been  sheared  at  this  time  and  the  barn  doors  are 
left  open  for  them,  they  will  run  to  the  barn  and 
seek  shelter  just  as  soon  as  it  turns  cold  or  begins 
to  rain,  thereby  protecting  not  only  themselves 


Shearing  and  Dipping  the  Flock.  97 

but  also  their  lambs.  Some  of  our  best  sheep 
breeders  favor  shearing  before  lambing,  and  keep 
up  this  practice  each  year.  Of  course,  these  men 
do  their  shearing  themselves  and  in  the  most  care- 
ful manner. 

When  ewes  are  sheared  before  lambing,  only 
the  most  competent  and  careful  shearers  should 
ever  perform  the  work,  and  even  such  men  must 
use  extreme  care  and  patience  to  make  sure  that 
none  of  the  ewes  heavy  with  lamb  are  injured,  re- 
sulting in  abortion.  Therefore,  unless  the  most 
competent  and  painstaking  shearers  can  be  se- 
cured, in  spite  of  the  advantages  of  shearing  be- 
fore lambing,  the  writer  would  in  general  advise 
that  ewes  lamb  before  being  sheared.  However, 
when  ewes  are  due  to  lamb  late  in  the  season  it 
may  be  best  to  shear  them  before  they  lamb. 

DIPPING    A    NECESSITY. 

At  least  once  a  year  the  flock  should  be  dipped 
in  order  to  rid  it  from  ticks  and  also  from  lice,  if 
the  latter  should  be  present.  The  best  time  to  dip 
is  shortly  after  shearing.  A  nice,  warm,  sunshiny 
day  should  be  selected  for  this  work,  and  it  should 
preferably  be  done  in  the  morning  so  as  to  give 
the  sheep  a  chance  to  dry  out  again  before  night. 
Any  one  of  the  many  recommended  coal  tar  dips 
may  be  used.  Dipping  the  flock  is  strongly  ad- 


98  Sheep  Management. 

vised  not  only  for  the  purpose  of  killing  ticks  and 
lice  but  also  in  order  to  promote  the  health  of  the 
skin  and  to  further  the  growth  of  the  wool.  For 
this  reason  many  sheep  breeders  clip  each  year, 
in  spite  of  the  fact  that  they  know  their  flocks  are 
free  from  vermin.  Many  even  dip  twice  a  year, 
in  spring  and  in  fall,  because  they  realize  the  bene- 
fit derived  therefrom. 

In  case  a  flockmaster  does  not  find  time  to  dip 
his  whole  flock  because  of  the  rush  of  other  farm 
work,  he  ought  at  least  dip  the  lambs  in  the 
spring.  As  a  rule  not  many  flocks  are  entirely 
free  from  ticks.  If  the  old  sheep  have  been  sheared 
clean  and  no  patches  of  wool  arc  left  on  them 
ticks  will  move  off  from  them  and  find  new  homes 
and  shelter  on  the  lambs,  which  have  more  wool 
on  them  at  this  time  than  the  old  sheep  that  have 
been  sheared.  Eight  to  ten  days  after  shearing 
all  the  ticks  will  have  moved  off  from  the  old 
sheep  onto  the  lambs,  and  the  lambs  should  be 
dipped  to  destroy  them.  It  is  preferable,  however, 
to  dip  the  entire  flock  if  possible. 

In  dipping  the  sheep  it  is  not  necessary  for  the 
head  of  the  sheep  to  get  into  the  dip,  as  the  ticks 
or  lice  will  hardly  ever  be  found  here,  since  the 
sheep  can  rub  and  scratch  its  head  easily,  thus 
keeping  these  pests  off  from  this  part.  Further- 
more, it  is  not  the  best  thing  for  a  sheep  to  get 


Shearing  and  Dipping  the  Flock.  99 

the  dip  into  its  mouth,  eyes,  and  ears.  However, 
all  other  parts  of  the  body  up  to  the  head,  should 
be  kept  in  the  dip  not  less  than  one  minute.  The 
dip  will  be  more  effective  if  the  solution  is  luke- 
warm, and  the  sheep  will  not  then  be  chilled  when 
taking  a  bath  in  it. 

The  cut  on  page  88  shows  the  pen  into  which 
sheep  are  driven  when  they  are  to  be  dipped,  the 
dipping  vat,  and  the  draining  pen,  where  the  sheep 
remain  until  they  have  nicely  drained.  The  vat 
is  made  of  galvanized  iron,  and  is  movable,  so 
that  after  all  the  sheep  are  dipped,  the  vat  can  be 
stored  away  in  the  draining  pen,  where  it  will  be 
well  protected  and  will  therefore  last  for  many 
years.  The  size  of  the  vat  necessary  depends  on 
the  size  of  the  flock  kept  on  the  farm.  The  drain- 
ing pen  is  so  arranged  that  all  the  dip  which  runs 
off  the  sheep  while  they  are  dripping  runs  back 
into  the  vat. 

The  writer  does  not  understand  why  dipping  is 
neglected  by  some  sheep  owners.  It  is  impossible 
for  sheep  to  make  any  progress  when  they  are  cov- 
ered with  ticks  and  lice  which  annoy  them  day 
and  night.  When  sheep  are  infested  with  these 
pests  they  have  no  rest  at  all.  They  are  kept  busy 
biting  their  wool  and  scratching  continuously  and 
seeking  every  sharp  corner  or  post  to  rub  against 
in  fighting  the  insects. 


100  Sheep  Management. 

It  is  difficult  to  estimate  how  much  feed  is  wasted 
and  how  much  flesh  is  lost  when  ticks  or  lice  are 
present  in  a  flock.  It  is  certain,  however,  that  a 
great  portion  of  the  feed  consumed  by  the  sheep 
helps  to  support  these  pests.  They  suck  much 
blood  out  of  the  sheep,  and  this  blood  which  the 
sheep  needs  for  its  maintenance  must  be  restored 
through  the  feed,  which  should  be  used  by  the 
sheep  for  its  growth  and  development.  Therefore 
it  is  very  unwise  to  let  sheep  suflVr  from  such 
prsts  through  failure  to  dip  them  at  least  once  a 
year. 

TRIMMING   THi:    II-liT. 

It  is  most  essential  that  sheep  have  their  feel 
taken  care  of  just  as  well  as  any  other  part  of  their 
bodies.  It  is  necessary  to  attend  to  their  feet,  first, 
to  prevent  foot  rot,  and  second,  to  avoid  crooked 
and  broken-down  pasterns.  There  is  some  dif- 
ference in  the  amount  of  care  necessary  for  the 
various  breeds  of  sheep.  In  general,  the  feet  of 
sheep  which  produce  the  finest  grade  of  wool  need 
most  attention.  The  hoof  of  the  Merino,  which 
has  the  finest  wool,  grows  much  more  rapidly 
than  that  of  other  breeds,  and  the  feet  of  South- 
downs,  the  breed  next  finest  in  wool,  also  need 
more  attention  than  do  the  Oxfords,  Cheviots.,  or 
long  wool  breeds,  which  have  the  coarser  fleeces. 
However,  any  breed  of  sheep  ought  to  have  it* 


Shearing  and  Dipping  the  Flock. 


101 


feet  trimmed  at  least  twice  a  year,  in  spring  and 
fall.  Fine  wool  breeds,  as  mentioned  before, 
should  be  given  attention  in  this  respect  oftener 


PLATE  32.     Trimming  the  hoofs  of  a  sheep  with  a  jack-knife. 

than  twice  a  year.  When  sheep  are  neglected  with 
regard  to  this  matter  the  outside  horny  part  of  the 
hoof  grows  over  the  sole.  A  hollow  space  is  thus 
left  between  hoof  and  sole  in  which  dirt  collects, 


102  Sheep  Management. 

and  this  finally  begins  to  make  the  foot  sore,  with 
the  result  that  foot  rot  sets  in. 

As  has  been  mentioned,  the  second  danger  is  in 
crooked  and  broken-down  pasterns.  Many  good 
sheep  have  been  disregarded  in  the  show  ring  on 
account  of  crooked  feet  and  broken-down  pas- 
terns, due  to  neglect  of  the  shepherd  in  not  trim- 
ming their  feet  at  the  proper  time.  Foot  trim- 
ming is  a  phase  of  sheep  husbandry  that  requires 
the  ilockinaster's  attention  just  Hit1  same  as  feed- 
ing and  shearing. 


PI.ATI:   3:5.      Pruning    knife,    or   clippers,    used    in    removing    tin- 
portions   of   the   surplus   hoof. 

Ill  the  spring  after  shearing  is  the  best  lime  to 
trim  Ihe  feet  of  the  Hock.  In  order  to  do  this  work 
quickly  il  is  well  to  turn  the  sheep  out  on  damp 
ground  for  several  hours,  which  will  clean  their 
hoofs  and  make'  the  horny  part  soft  so  that  it  will 
cut  easily.  A  clipper,  also  called  a  pruning  knife, 
such  as  is  shown  in  the  illustration,  may  be  used 
to  remove  the  largest  portion  of  the  surplus  hoof, 


Shearing  and  Dipping  the  Flock.  103 

and  a  sharp  jack-knife  to  finish  it.  If  the  feet  are 
properly  softened  a  jack-knife  may  do  all  the 
work  satisfactorily.  The  hoof  should  be  cut  down 
so  as  to  make  it  level  with  the  sole  of  the  foot.  In 
some  cases  one  side  will  need  a  little  more  cutting 
than  the  other  in  order  to  make  the  foot  stand 
straight  when  placed  on  the  ground.  A.  O.  Fox, 
one  of  the  oldest  and  foremost  sheep  breeders  in 
Wisconsin,  once  said  to  the  writer:  "A  shepherd 
who  does  not  take  care  of  the  feet  of  his  flock  is 
just  as  dangerous  as  the  one  who  does  not  feed 
his  flock  properly,"  and  this  is  certainly  true. 


PI.ATK  :H.     Cheviot  nun  huiih  \\inniiiK  first  pri/r  at   the  International, 
1910,  shmMi  by  F.  L.  I'ostle  &  Son,  Ohio. 


PLATK  35.     Flock  of  Cheviot  ewes,   property  of   Lantz   Bros.,   Illinois. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

PREVENTION  AND  TREATMENT  OF 
PARASITES. 

The  flockmaster  has  little  work  with  his  sheep 
in  the  summer  when  they  are  on  pasture,  aside 
from  keeping  them  free  from  parasites.  These  in- 
sects have  caused  the  loss  of  thousands  of  lambs 
and  sheep  and  have,  in  some  cases,  discouraged  the 
flockowners  so  thoroughly  that  they  have  dropped 
out  of  the  sheep  business.  Among  these  parasites 
the  stomach  worm  is  perhaps  the  one  that  has 
done  the  most  damage  to  sheep  husbandry.  On 
land  where  rotation  of  crops  is  not  practiced  and 
old  meadow  pastures  that  cannot  be  tilled  are  used 
continuously  during  many  years  for  pasturing 
sheep,  the  infection  with  parasites  is  much  greater 
than  on  land  where  the  rotation  plan  is  followed 
and  sheep  are  changed  to  new,  fresh  ground  each 
year.  The  danger  of  stomach  worms  is  not 
nearly  so  great  in  winter  as  in  summer,  and  the 
months  of  July,  August,  and  September  are  the 
most  serious  times  for  the  flockowner.  The  writer 
has  known,  nevertheless,  of  a  few  instances  where 
sheep  have  died  in  winter  and  early  spring  from 
infection  with  these  pests. 

(105) 


106  Sheep  Management. 

SYMPTOMS  OF  STOMACH  WORMS. 

A  person  who  is  familiar  with  the  subject  of 
sheep  husbandry  can  easily  detect  any  member  in 
the  flock  that  is  infested  with  stomach  worms.  The 
sheep  so  infested  usually  hangs  back  from  the  -rest 
of  *the  flock,  walks  somewhat  stiff',  and  shows  loss 
of  flesh.  Its  wool  becomes  harsh  and  appears  dry 
and  in  many  cases  the  sheep  will  scour.  The  sheep 
looks  weak  and  dull  and  lets  its  head  hang  low, 
and  it  often  happens  that  a  soft  kind  of  swelling 
forms  under  the  lower  jaw  during  the  day  time 
and  disappears  again  by  the  next  morning.  In 
this  condition  sheep  eat  a  great  deal  of  earth  wher- 
ever they  find  it  and  drink  more  water  than  usual. 
Some  of  them  withstand  these  worms  for  a  long 
time,  while  others  die  within  two  weeks  to  ten 
days  or  even  a  shorter  period  from  the  time  they 
first  show  symptoms  of  the  disease.  Many  sheep 
may  die  in  a  flock,  and  yet  the  owner  will  have  no 
clue  as  to  the  cause  of  their  death.  In  order  to 
make  sure  that  a  sheep  which  shows  any  of  the 
foregoing  symptoms  is  suffering  from  worms,  pull 
down  its  lower  eyelid  and  note  the  color  of  the 
mucous  membrane,  or  inside  lining,  of  the  eyelid. 
It  should  be  of  a  pink  color,  showing  an  abundance 
of  blood.  If,  however,  it  is  of  a  pale,  yellowish 
color  and  the  skin  on  the  side  of  the  sheep  also 
appears  pale  when  the  wool  is  parted,  the  owner 


Prevention  and  Treatment  of  Parasites.      107 

may  invariably  be  certain  that  stomach  worms 
are  at  work  in  the  sheep.  This  pale  condition  is 
due  to  the  fact  that  these  worms  suck  all  the  blood 
out  of  the  animal,  and  it  will  finally  die  because  of 
this  loss  of  blood.  When  lambs  which  are  badly 
infested  with  these  worms  are  killed  they  have 
been  found  to  have  scarcely  any  blood  left  in  them. 
Stomach  worms  are  only  found  in  the  fourth 
stomach  of  the  sheep.  When  this  stomach  is  care- 
fully opened  a  dark  brown  fluid  will  be  observed, 
which  contains  thousands  of  little  worms  of  a  red- 
dish color,  about  three-fourths  of  an  inch  or  an 
inch  long  and  as  thick  as  a  hair.  This  mass  of 
worms  is  responsible  for  the  death  of  the  lamb. 
It  may  be  in  place  to  repeat  here  that  older  sheep 
are  not  subject  to  stomach  worms  as  commonly 
as  are  lambs,  but  the  writer  wishes  it  clearly  un- 
derstood that  older  sheep  are  not  entirely  exempt 
from  these  pests.  As  far  as  is  known  these  worms 
get  their  start  in  the  body  of  the  older  sheep  and 
pass  out  in  the  droppings.  It  is  thought  that  when 
these  worms  leave  the  sheep  they  are  loaded  with 
eggs  which  soon  hatch.  The  young  worms  do  not 
stay  down  on  the  ground  but  seek  a  temporary 
abode  on  the  stems  and  leaves  of  grass  and  are 
thus  swallowed  by  sheep  grazing  thereon.  These 
worms  are  perhaps  thickest  around  the  shade  trees 
in  pastures,  where  sheep  spend  most  of  their  time 


108  Sheep  Management. 

during  the  hottest  hours  of  the  summer  day.  Most 
of  the  droppings  of  the  ewes  are  found  here  and 
consequently  the  freshest  and  nicest  grass  grows 
in  this  place.  The  innocent  lambs  get  up  from 
their  shady  resting  place,  begin  nibbling  on  this 
fresh-looking  grass,  eat  grass  and  worms  together, 
and  the  worms  find  their  natural  homes  in  the 
lambs'  stomachs  and  begin  the  work  of  destruc- 
tion at  once.  It  is  peculiar  that  older  sheep  pos- 
sess a  certain  instinct  which  keeps  them  from  cat- 
ing  very  much  near  shade  trees  but  leads  them  off 
for  a  distance,  just  as  if  they  realized  the  danger 
at  hand.  The  lambs,  like  other  young  animals, 
are  easily  caught  in  the  trap,  and  thus  are  infested 
with  the  worms  more  than  the  older  sheep.  The 
older  sheep  also  seem  to  possess  more  power  to  re- 
sist the  attacks  of  stomach  worms.  Experiments 
carried  on  at  the  agricultural  colleges  have  clearly 
demonstrated  that  lambs  get  these  parasites  on 
pasture.  At  the  Ohio  Experiment  Station  lambs 
that  were  fed  all  summer  in  a  barn  were  kept  free 
from  parasites,  while  others  that  were  turned  out 
to  pasture  were  badly  infested. 

THE  PREVENTION  OF  STOMACH  WORMS. 

It  is  far  easier  to  prevent  infection  with  stomach 
worms  than  it  is  to  destroy  the  worms  when  the 
sheep  have  become  infested  with  them.  Nothing 


Prevention  and  Treatment  of  Parasites.      109 

can  be  more  highly  recommended  for  the  pre- 
vention of  stomach  worms  in  sheep  than  the  fre- 
quent change  of  pasture,  for  sheep  become  infested 
with  these  pests  only  by  swallowing  the  worms 
while  grazing.  If  possible  sheep  should  be  changed 
to  fresh,  clean  pasture  every  two  to  three  weeks 
during  June,  July,  August,  and  September,  for  dur- 
ing warm  weather  otherwise  clean  pastures  may 
become  infested  in  even  less  time  by  sheep  graz- 
ing thereon.  Fields  on  which  no  sheep  or  goats 
have  grazed  for  a  year,  and  plots  which  have  been 
plowed  and  cultivated  since  sheep  grazed  on  them 
are  practically  free  from  infection.  Old  blue 
grass  pastures  are  especially  to  be  avoided.  It 
is  thus  clear  that  annual  pastures,  such  as  rape, 
furnish  clean  pasture  for  the  flock.  In  the  warmer 
sections  it  is  necessary  to  begin  changing  to  fresh 
pasture  earlier  in  the  spring  and  to  change  more 
frequently  in  the  summer.  This  method  requires 
several  separate,  clean  pasture  lots,  but  flockmas- 
ters  who  have  followed  this  method  have  had  little 
trouble  with  parasites. 

In  some  cases  it  is  impossible  for  the  flockmas- 
ter  to  change  pastures  as  frequently  as  has  been 
recommended  above.  For  such  instances  it  is  to 
be  hoped  that  some  remedy  may  be  found  which 
will  be  a  sure  preventative  of  stomach  worms. 
During  the  last  few  years  some  medicated  stock 


110  Sheep  Management. 

salts  have  been  placed  on  the  market  which  the 
manufacturers  claim  will  prevent  and  destroy  all 
parasites  in  sheep,  but  at  this  time  the  writer  is 
unable  to  state  whether  these  products  will  do  the 
work  satisfactorily  or  not.  Some  breeders  claim 
that  feeding  tobacco  prevents  parasites.  Others 
recommend  the  use  of  turpentine  and  wood  ashes, 
mixed  with  salt. 

Sheep  should  never  be  allowed  to  drink  stag- 
nant water  from  old  ponds  or  mud  holes  in  which 
all  sorts  of  insects  live.  When  sheep  are  allowed 
to  drink  such  stagnant  water,  covered  with  a  green 
scum,  they  are  liable  to  become  infested  with 
parasites  and  also  contract  many  diseases  such  as 
anthrax  and  others  nearly  as  serious.  The  writer 
wishes  to  again  impress  upon  flockmasters  the 
great  danger  of  allowing  their  sheep  to  drink  such 
stagnant  water.  Fresh,  pure  water  should  be  pro- 
vided for  the  sheep  every  day  of  the  year,  and  ns 
much  of  it  as  they  want.  The  idea  so  commonly 
held  that  sheep  do  not  need  water  is  entirely 
wrong.  Sheep  should  always  have  access  to  fresh, 
pure  water,  since  they  need  it  just  as  much  as  any 
other  farm  animal. 

TREATMENT  FOR  STOMACH  WORM. 

A  number  of  remedies  can  be  recommended 
which  have  proved  satisfactory  for  destroying 


Prevention  and  Treatment  of  Parasites.     Ill 

stomach  worms.  Gasoline,  turpentine,  benzine, 
and  others  are  excellent  for  this  purpose,  and  will 
also  destroy  tape  worms  in  sheep.  Among  these 
remedies  gasoline  is  the  writer's  favorite,  for  in 
his  experience  this  has  given  the  best  results. 

The  unfortunate  lambs  or  sheep  that  are  to  un- 
dergo this  treatment  should  be  separated  from  the 
rest  of  the  flock  in  the  evening  and  be  shut  off  in 
a  barnyard  or  perhaps  a  stable,  where  they  can- 
not get  anything  to  eat  or  drink  over  night.  In 
the  morning  the  stomachs  will  be  fairly  empty 
and  this  will  render  it  possible  for  the  dose  to  en- 
ter quickly  into  the  fourth  stomach  of  the  sheep, 
where  the  worms  are  located.  The  sheep  will 
therefore  now  be  ready  for  the  first  dose. 

SIZE  OF  DOSE. 

When  either  gasoline,  turpentine,  or  benzine  is 
used,  the  size  of  the  dose  is  practically  the  same. 
The  dose  for  lambs  is  as  follows: 

5  ounces  of  cow's  whole  milk. 

1  tablespoonful  of  gasoline. 

1  tablespoonful  of  raw  linseed  oil. 

This  dose,  which  is  to  be  mixed  up  separately 
for  each  lamb,  should  be  well  shaken  in  a  small- 
necked  bottle  like  that  in  Plate  36  and  given  to  the 
lamb.  For  older  sheep  the  dose  of  gasoline,  tur- 


112 


Sheep  Management. 


pe  11  tine,  or  benzine  is  from  one  tablespoonful  to 
one  and  one-half  tablespoonfuls  (not  teaspoon- 
fuls)  according  to  the  size  of  the  sheep,  while  the 
amount  of  milk  and  of  linseed  oil  is  the  same.  This 
treatment,  when  repeated  for  each  animal  for 
three  successive  mornings,  will 
certainly,  if  handled  right,  be  a 
cure  for  stomach  worms.  Of 
course,  each  time  the  sheep  must 
have  been  deprived  of  all  food 
over  night.  The  dose  may  be  given 
every  alternate  day  in  case  the 
Iambs  have  become  very  weak 
before  the  trouble  was  noticed. 
Some  authorities  recommend  that 
another  single  dose  of  the  mix- 
lure  be  given  ten  days  after  the 
third  dose.  In  former  years  the 
writer  used  only  the  milk  and 
gasoline  for  dosing,  but  in  later 
years  he  has  also  added  linseed 
oil,  for  the  reason  that  lambs  take  this  mixture 
more  easily  and  do  not  mind  the  strength  of  the 
gasoline  so  much  when  it  passes  through  the 
mouth  and  throat.  This  linseed  oil  also  helps  to 
carry  oil'  the  worms  that  are  killed,  but  does  not 
weaken  the  dose  in  anv  wav. 


PI.ATK   30.    Drench- 
ing   bottle. 


Prevention  and  Treatment  of  Parasites.      113 


DRENCHING  SHEEP. 

Great  precautions  must  be  taken  when  admin- 
istering medicine  to  sheep  so  as  not  to  strangle 
them,  as  even  some  older  sheepmen  have  choked 
lambs  by  drenching  them. 
Giving  medicine  to  sheep 
is  not  a  serious  job,  how- 
ever, if  enough  care  is  ex- 
ercised. In  administering 
medicine  place  the  lambs 
to  be  treated  in  a  narrow 
space  so  that  they  may  be 
caught  without  chasing, 
catch  one,  and  back  it  into 
a  corner.  If  the  sheep  is 
small  enough,  straddle  it, 
otherwise  stand  on  its 
right  side  as  is  shown  in 
the  accompanying  illustra- 
tion. Now  place  your  left 

i  i  ••  .  ,1      Al  drenched. 

hand  on  its  jaw  with  the 

thumb  of  the  left  hand  in  its  mouth  on  the  tongue 
and  between  the  front  and  back  teeth,  opening  the 
mouth  so  that  the  neck  of  the  bottle  may  be  placed 
on  its  tongue.  Be  careful  not  to  hold  its  head  up 
too  high,  for  in  this  unnatural  position  it  may 
choke.  Pour  the  contents  of  the  bottle  slowly  down 

8 


The    manner    in 
large      sheep      is 


*I.ATE   38.     How    to   drench   any    sheep    which    is 
straddled. 


large   to   be 


Prevention  and  Treatment  of  Parasites.      115 

its  throat,  perhaps  one-third  or  one-half  of  it  at 
one  time.  Wait  for  a  minute,  then  give  some  more 
until  all  is  taken.  At  least  one  or  two  pauses 
should  be  made  in  order  that  a  part  of  the  dose 
may  not  enter  the  lungs  and  prove  fatal  to  the 
sheep.  The  fingers  of  the  left  hand  by  which  the 
lamb's  head  is  held  should  be  left  free,  and  the 
under  jaw  should  not  be  held  tight  up  against  the 
upper  jaw,  which  would,  of  course,  prevent  the 
lamb  from  swallowing,  and  consequently  the  med- 
icine would  run  down  into  its  lungs  and  kill  the 
lamb  instantly.  An  incorrect  method  of  holding 
lambs  when  drenching  has  killed  many  of  them. 
Some  shepherds  practice  setting  the  sheep  on  its 
rump  with  its  head  held  high,  but  in  the  author's 
experience  this  has  not  been  found  advisable. 
When  the  sheep's  head  is  held  too  high  it  cannot 
swallow  very  well  and  the  dose  runs  down  its 
windpipe  into  its  lungs.  This  method  of  holding 
the  sheep  should  be  followed  not  alone  when  sheep 
are  drenched  to  kill  parasites  but  in  all  cases 
where  it  is  necessary  for  medicine  to  be  given.  Be 
very  particular  to  keep  the  fingers  of  your  left 
hand  off  from  the  under  jaw  while  the  medicine 
is  being  given,  and  all  will  be  well.  Shortly  after 
dosing  the  lambs  with  gasoline  or  other  remedies 
they  may  again  be  turned  out  on  grass  each  day. 


116  Sheep  Management. 

SHEEP  WITH  GRUB  IN  THE  HEAD. 

Another  evil  to  be  feared  in  sheep  husbandry  is 
grub  in  the  head  of  sheep.  Experienced  sheepmen 
generally  admit  that  sheep  which  are  grazing  in 
brush  and  woodland  are  in  greater  danger  of  being 
troubled  with  these  grubs  than  sheep  which  are 
feeding  on  clear  pastures. 

In  the  hot  summer  weather  while  the  sheep  is 
resting  beside  bushes  and  shady  trees  chewing  its 
cud  or  perhaps  sleeping,  a  big  fly  lights  on  its  nose. 
Generally  a  little  fluid,  not  at  all  harmful,  is  run- 
ning from  the  nostrils  of  the  sheep.  This  fly  settles 
down  on  the  nostrils  and  at  times  will  even  crawl 
up  into  the  sheep's  nose  in  order  to  feed  on  this 
fluid.  In  the  meantime  it  also  deposits  some  eggs  or 
perhaps  young  worms,  which  the  sheep  in  breath- 
ing draws  up  into  its  head  between  the  eyes  where 
there  are  cavities  in  the  nasal  passages.  The  eggs 
hatch,  or  the  worms  develop  into  large-sized 
grubs,  which  look  like  those  commonly  found  un- 
der rotten  stumps  or  plowed  sod  ground.  The 
only  difference  is  that  the  grubs  found  in  the  head 
of  sheep,  when  full  grown,  are  not  quite  half  the 
size  of  those  seen  in  the  field  or  under  stumps. 
In  some  instances  as  many  as  eleven  of  such  grubs 
of  different  sizes  and  ages  have  been  found  in  a 
single  sheep  that  had  died  with  grub  in  the  head. 


Prevention  and  Treatment  of  Parasites.      117 

When  a  sheep  has  grub  in  the  head  it  lets  its 
head  hang  down  to  the  ground,  grinds  its  teeth 
frequently,  turns  its  head  to  one  side,  then  to  the 
other,  and  then  back  towards  its  shoulders,  and 
often  walks  around  in  a  circle.  A  green  liquid  may 
run  out  of  its  nose,  and  of  course  it  has  also  lost 
its  appetite.  When  sheep  become  infested  with 
grub  in  the  head  it  is  a  very  fatal  matter,  as  no  re- 
liable cure  for  it  has  as  yet  been  found. 

A  few  years  ago  the  writer  took  a  trip  to  Europe 
to  study  sheep  husbandry  on  that  continent.  He 
there  met  some  of  the  oldest  shepherds,  who  had 
spent  their  whole  lives  in  herding  and  caring  for 
sheep  and  had  therefore  gained  much  practical 
experience.  These  shepherds  claimed  that  some 
sheep  could  be  saved  by  letting  a  little  snuff  to- 
bacco thoroughly  mixed  with  linseed  oil  run  into 
the  sheep's  nostrils.  By  holding  the  sheep's  head 
high  when  the  mixture  was  poured  into  the  nostrils 
it  would  find  its  way  to  the  place  where  the  grubs 
were  lodged.  The  grubs  would  be  disturbed  by 
this  snuff  and  the  sheep  would  begin  to  sneeze 
and  thus  force  the  grubs  out  of  the  head.  This 
may  be  a  good  remedy,  and  those  sheepmen  who 
are  troubled  with  this  pest  might  give  it  a  trial, 
but  the  author  has  had  no  occasion  to  test  it  as  he 
has  always  succeeded  in  preventing  grub  in  the 
head  by  the  method  which  follows. 


118 


Sheep  Management. 

PREVENTION. 


This  disease  in  sheep  can  be  avoided  by  doing  a 
little  extra  work.  If  no  other  time  is  suitable  for 
this  purpose  it  can  be  done  in  the  evening  after 
supper  when  the  other  chores  are  completed,  as  the 


I'I.ATI:  ;{!>.      Champion  Cotswold  ram  at    tin-   International,    11)10,   S!IO\MI 
by    F.    W.    Harding,   Waukcsha,    NVis. 

days  air  longest  in  fly  time,  which  is  in  summer.  It 
is  an  old  saying  that  where  there  is  a  will  there  is  a 
way,  and  so  it  is  here.  A  man  who  has  a  small 
flock  can  probably  take  the  time,  say  every  two 
or  three  weeks,  to  smear  some  pine  tar  on  the  noses 
of  the  sheep.  Even  if  the  sheep  eat  a  little  of  it, 
it  will  not  harm  them,  on  the  contrary,  it  is  good 


Prevention  and  Treatment  of  Parasites.     119 

for  them.  The  tar  will  keep  the  flies  away  from 
the  sheeps'  noses,  and  in  fact  away  from  any  place 
where  it  is  present,  for  flies  despise  pine  tar. 

It  is  important  to  see  to  it  that  sheep  have  free 
access  to  salt  at  all  times  of  the  year,  whether  they 
are  in  the  barn  or  on  pasture.  This  salt,  however, 
should  be  placed  in  a  salt  box  and  not  thrown  on 
the  ground,  as  some  careless  flockowners  do.  In 
summer  smear  the  bottom  and  sides  of  the  salt 
trough  with  a  heavy  coat  of  pine  tar,  and  then 
sprinkle  the  salt  on  top  of  it.  In  licking  up  the 
salt  sheep  cannot  avoid  getting  some  tar  on  their 
noses,  and  herein  lies  the  whole  secret  of  this 
method  of  preventing  grubs.  The  flies  will  now 
no  longer  bother  their  noses.  This  is  a  simple  but 
effective  method  of  preventing  grub  in  the  head. 
Rock  salt,  of  course,  can  not  be  used  for  this  pur- 
pose, but  common  salt  is  now  so  cheap  that  it 
hardly  pays  to  use  the  rock  salt  anyway. 

In  Canada  the  writer  has  seen  still  another 
method  practiced.  A  log  is  selected  and  holes 
bored  into  it  with  an  auger,  each  hole  being  wide 
and  deep  enough  so  that  the  sheep  can  get  its  nose 
into  it  nearly  up  to  the  eyes.  These  holes  are  about 
three  feet  apart.  They  are  smeared  on  the  inside 
with  a  heavy  coat  of  pine  tar  and  the  holes  are 
filled  up  with  salt.  In  this  manner  the  sheep  get 
even  more  tar  on  their  noses  than  they  will  in 


120  Sheep  Management. 

eating  salt  from  the  trough.  Either  of  these  meth- 
ods is  a  good  and  simple  way  to  keep  sheep  free 
from  grub  in  the  head. 

BLOAT  IN   SHEEP. 

Sheep,  as  a  rule,  are  very  greedy.  When  turned 
on  some  new  pasture,  such  as  clover,  aifalta,  or 
rape,  they  eat  too  fast  and  too  much  and  conse- 
quently bloat.  Any  one  of  these  forages  will  bloat 
sheep  very  quickly  when  the  crop  is  too  young, 
fresh,  and  juicy.  The  weather  conditions  also  have 
something  to  do  with  this.  Even  if  sheep  have 
been  grazing  on  clover  or  alfalfa  fields  without 
any  symptoms  of  bloating  for  some  time,  all  dan- 
ger is  not  yet  over.  Some  night  a  heavy  rain  or 
thunderstorm  may  sweep  over  the  country,  and 
the  next  day  be  very  warm  and  sultry,  indicating 
more  rain  to  follow.  On  such  a  day  as  this,  no 
matter  how  safe  your  sheep  have  been  on  this 
same  field  before,  something  is  very  likely  to  hap- 
pen. There  is  not  so  much  danger  in  the  forenoon 
as  in  the  afternoon,  especially  late  in  the  afternoon 
towards  sunset  and  evening.  The  moisture  in  the 
ground  from  a  previous  rain  seems  to  have  an 
effect  on  the  clover,  and  the  latter  then  seems  to 
form  more  gas  when  in  the  sheep's  stomach,  re- 
sulting in  bloat.  Many  shepherds  have  been  in 
great  anxiety  when  they  came  to  their  flock  and 


Prevention  and  Treatment  of  Parasites.     121 

found  five  or  six  sheep  lying  dead  before  them, 
bloated  as  big  as  barrels,  and  others  suffering 
from  bloat. 

Sheep  that  have  eaten  large  quantities  of  clover, 
rape,  or  alfalfa  and  have  become  bloated,  are  in 
terrible  distress.  The  gas  rising  from  fermenta- 
tion causes  the  first  stomach  to  distend  to  its  ut- 
most capacity.  This  stomach  on  account  of  its 
abnormal  size  presses  upon  the  lungs,  and  conse- 
quently interferes  with  the  respiration,  sometimes 
stopping  it  entirely,  in  which  case  death  follows, 
or  the  stomach  may  even  burst  from  the  pressure. 

REMEDY  FOR  BLOAT. 

Trocars  and  knives  have  been  used  in  tapping 
the  bloated  sheep  to  let  the  gas  escape  from  the 
stomach.  The  writer  must  confess  that  he  never 
had  any  success  with  either  of  the  two,  perhaps 
due  to  his  own  fault  in  operation.  But  he  takes 
pride  in  giving  to  his  readers  a  remedy,  still  un- 
known to  many  and  not  yet  published  elsewhere. 
When  the  sheep  that  is  bloated  is  not  found  alto- 
gether too  late,  and  the  overloaded  stomach  has  not 
been  pressing  too  heavily  upon  the  lungs  or  has  not 
burst,  there  is  hope  of  saving  it.  Quickly  find  a 
pail,  run  to  the  first  cow  you  see  that  is  giving  milk, 
draw  out  from  a  pint  to  a  quart  of  it,  come  back 
to  the  sheep  as  quickly  as  possible,  and  give  the 


. 


Prevention  and  Treatment  of  Parasites.      123 

warm  milk  to  the  sheep  by  means  of  the  drench- 
ing bottle.  If  it  does  not  stop  groaning  and  stretch- 
ing in  a  short  time  give  it  another  half  pint  of 
milk.  Soon  after  this  you  will  see  the  animal  draw 
in  its  bulged-out  sides  and  begin  to  look  smaller, 
and  after  a  little  it  will  have  regained  its  natural 
form.  The  writer  has  saved  many  bloated  sheep 
in  this  way.  Remember  that  the  milk  must  be 
warm  from  the  cow's  udder.  Cold  milk  does  not 
absorb  the  gas  as  the  warm  milk  does.  Give  the 
milk  as  warm  as  possible,  and  be  careful  not  to 
choke  the  sheep  when  dosing  it  in  this  bloated 
condition. 

SOME  COMMON  MEDICINES  HELPFUL  TO  THE  FLOCK- 
MASTER. 

It  is  generally  conceded  that  if  a  sheep  once  gets 
sick  not  much  can  be  done  to  save  it.  The  writer, 
however,  is  not  exactly  of  this  opinion.  True 
enough,  if  a  sheep  has  pneumonia  and  its  lungs  are 
badly  affected  death  is  generally  the  result.  There 
are  other  diseases  which  baffle  even  the  knowl- 
edge and  control  of  veterinarians.  In  many  in- 
stances, however,  the  shepherd  can  himself  treat 
the  sick  sheep  in  lighter  cases.  For  instance,  if 
a  sheep  suffers  from  constipation  this  trouble  can 
be  removed  by  giving  the  sheep  one  or  perhaps 
two  doses  of  epsom  salts.  The  dose  for  an  older 


124  Sheep  Management. 

sheep  is  from  four  to  five  ounces  and  for  a  lamb 
somewhat  less.  This  salt  is  dissolved  in  warm 
water  and  given  in  a  drench.  If  the  bowels  do 
not  move  in  from  five  to  six  hours  a  second  dose 
may  be  given,  adding  a  little  castor  oil  to  it.  In 
some  bad  cases  an  injection  of  warm  water  with 
a  little  soap  in  it  is  helpful  in  getting  the  bowels 
to  move.  A  dose  of  epsom  salts  is  also  beneficial 
for  a  sheep  that  has  contracted  a  bad  cold. 

Little  lambs  sometimes  become  constipated  from 
their  mother's  milk,  in  which  cases  one-half  to  one 
teaspoonful  of  castor  oil  given  the  youngster  once 
or  twice  will  remedy  the  trouble. 

COLIC,   OH   "STKinCIIES." 

This  trouble  is  caused  by  the  sheep  eating  fro/en 
roots,  corn  silage  that  contains  a  great  amount  of 
aeid  or  which  has  been  fro/en  a  little,  or  any 
other  food  that  chills  the  stomach  of  the  sheep. 
The  symptoms  of  colic  or  so-called  stretches  in 
sheep  are:  stretching  the  body  much  longer  than 
it  really  is;  turning  over  on  one  side,  then  on  the 
other;  lying  down  for  a  few  minutes,  and  then  get- 
ting up  again;  stretching  the  body  out  again  so 
that  the  sheep  appears  to  be  sway-backed. 

A  tablespoonful  of  sweet  spirits  of  nitre  given 
in  a  little  water  will  relieve  the  sheep  of  its  pains. 
Sometimes  a  second  dose  has  to  be  given  if  the 
sheep  is  not  relieved  of  its  distress  by  the  first  dose. 


Prevention  and  Treatment  of  Parasites.     125 

WETHERS    WITH    SORE    SHEATH. 

Wethers  often  become  sore  at  the  end  of  their 
sheath  and  penis.  Such  cases  should  be  treated 
by  injections  of  permanganate  of  potash  solution 
with  a  small  syringe,  repeating  a  number  of  times 
and  using  one-half  teaspoonful  of  permanganate 
of  potash  to  a  quart  of  warm  water.  After  each 
injection  a  little  iodoform  should  be  applied  to  the 
sore  on  the  end  of  the  sheath. 

MAGGOTS   IN   MIDSUMMER   AND   FLY  TIME. 

Another  pest  that  needs  the  shepherd's  close  at- 
tention during  the  hot  weather  and  fly  time  is  the 
maggot.  These  maggots  have  caused  great  loss  to 
the  flockowner  and  a  most  terrible  death  to  the 
poor,  innocent  sheep  that  are  infested.  It  is  ter- 
rible to  think  of  a  harmless  sheep  being  eaten  alive 
by  hundreds  of  thousands  of  these  maggots,  which 
steadily  gnaw  and  feed  on  its  body  until  finally  the 
animal  succumbs.  Yet  this  unhappy  lot  has  befallen 
many  sheep.  You  may  ask  whether  it  is  possible 
for  a  person  to  be  so  cruel  as  to  let  his  sheep  be 
eaten  alive.  It  is  true  enough,  but  why  and  how 
is  this  done?  Simply  because  some  people  have 
not  yet  learned  what  particular  precautions  must 
be  taken  at  certain  times  of  the  season  in  order  to 
prevent  this  evil,  or  they  are  altogether  too  care- 
less in  managing  their  flocks.  For  instance  a  man 


Prevention  and  Treatment  of  Parasites.      127 

starts  in  sheep  husbandry,  is  in  earnest  about  it, 
and  wants  to  do  the  best  he  can.  The  first  summer 
he  keeps  sheep  may  be  a  very  favorable  one  and 
everything  may  run  smoothly  throughout  the  sea- 
son. The  next  year  the  season  may  be  much  dif- 
ferent, but  he  fears  nothing  because  he  had  no 
trouble  whatever  the  first  year.  Some  day  he  will 
find  a  stumbling  block  in  his  way,  which  he  has 
not  seen  or  heard  of  up  to  this  time.  He  may  find 
one  or  two  of  his  sheep  lying  dead  in  the  pasture. 
He  makes  an  examination,  and  behold,  what  meets 
his  eye?  Thousands  and  thousands  of  little  white 
maggots  are  having  a  feast  on  the  dead  sheep.  He 
now  begins  to  wonder  whnt  could  have  been  the 
trouble  with  his  sheep.  It  is  a  puzzle  to  him 
whether  these  maggots  got  on  to  the  sheep  after  it 
had  died,  or  whether  they  got  on  while  it  was  still 
alive  and  then  killed  it.  Only  a  few  years  ago  a 
farmer  came  to  this  Station  and  asked  for  infor- 
mation concerning  the  cause  of  the  death  of  thir- 
teen head  of  sheep,  which  he  thought  were  eaten 
up  by  worms.  The  writer  asked  the  question: 
"Where  were  the  worms  that  killed  your  sheep, 
inside  the  sheep's  body  or  on  the  outside?"  The 
farmer  replied  that  many  little  white  worms,  about 
half  an  inch  long,  were  seen  on  the  outside  of  the 
sheep.  Evidently  maggots  were  at  work  on  his 
flock  and  he  did  not  know  it,  as  he  stated  that  he 
had  never  heard  of  maggots  killing  sheep. 


128  Sheep  Management. 

CAUSE    OF    MAGGOTS. 

Maggots  on  sheep  are  caused  by  blow-flies.  Fe- 
male sheep  are  more  apt  to  have  maggots  than 
male  sheep,  although  males  also  occasionally  be- 
come infested.  Sheep  sometimes  get  filthy  on  their 
bodies,  especially  at  the  rear,  caused  either  by 
their  scouring,  or  in  the  case  of  females  by  the 
spattering  of  the  urine  on  the  wool.  The  so-called 
blow-fly  comes  along,  feeds  on  this  filth,  and  mean- 
while lays  eggs  there.  These  eggs  hatch,  forming 
tiny  worm-like  larvae,  which  grow  fast,  and  bur- 
row into  the  flesh  of  the  sheep.  In  a  couple  of 
days  i\  large  patch  of  full  grown  maggots  are  pres- 
ent on  the  sheep,  more  eggs  arc  laid  and  hatch,  and 
in  the  course  of  three  or  four  days  maggots  arc 
there  by  the  thousands.  On  account  of  the  rapid 
increase  in  number  these  maggots  move  forward 
and  spread  over  the  body  of  the  sheep,  and  after 
six  or  seven  days  the  sheep  dies  a  lingering  death. 

PREVENTION. 

Ill  hot  weather  and  fly  time  the  conscientious 
shepherd  makes  it  a  point  to  inspect  his  flock  in 
the  pasture  at  least  once  a  day.  If  he  should  notice 
any  filthy  portions  of  wool  on  any  member  in  the 
flock  he  will  quickly  get  a  pair  of  shears  and  cut 
them  off.  lie  also  will  get  a  solution  of  some  coal 
tar  sheep  dip,  mixed  in  the  proportions  of  one 


Prevention  and  Treatment  of  Parasites.      129 

part  of  dip  to  seventy-five  parts  of  water,  and 
cleanse  the  filthy  portions  thoroughly.  It  may  be 
added  here  that  if  no  dip  is  left  over  after  sheep 
dipping  time  is  past  some  more  ought  to  be  se- 
cured for  use  during  the  summer.  The  odor  left 
on  the  sheep  by  this  solution  will  keep  the  flies 
away  for  quite  a  long  period.  When  proper  at- 
tention is  given  the  sheep,  maggots  will  not  find 
their  way  onto  any  members  of  the  flock. 

TREATMENT    OF    MAGGOTS. 

When  sheep  are  already  infested  with  maggots 
the  same  treatment  should  be  used  as  is  used  to 
prevent  maggots.  The  wool  must  be  cut  away  as 
close  to  the  skin  as  possible  and  as  far  as  these 
miserable  pests  are  lodged.  The  infested  por- 
tion should  then  be  washed  with  a  solution  of  dip 
consisting  of  ont  part  of  dip  to  fifty  of  water. 
As  the  maggots  are  unable  to  withstand  the  odor 
of  the  dip  they  will  then  fall  to  the  ground.  Some- 
times they  will  already  have  made  large  holes  in 
the  body  of  the  sheep,  in  which  case  care  must  be 
taken  to  cleanse  these  thoroughly  and  remove  all 
maggots.  It  is  a  good  plan  to  smear  some  pine  tar 
in  these  holes  after  all  the  maggots  have  been 
cleaned  out. 

Many  sheepmen  use  turpentine  to  kill  maggots. 
The  writer,  however,  does  not  favor  its  use  for 

9 


130  Sheep  Management. 

the  reason  that  it  is  too  strong  and  sharp  and  bites 
the  skin  of  the  sheep,  making  it  very  raw  and 
causing  the  animal  severe  pain.  A  solution  of 
Zenoleum  or  Greso  dip  are  mild  on  the  skin,  are 
disinfectants,  and  at  the  same  time  have  a  healing 
effect. 


CHAPTER  VII. 
SUMMER  FEEDING  AND  CARE. 

After  the  winter  and  early  spring  work  is  all 
done,  the  flock  is  put  out  on  pasture  to  enjoy  the 
young,  juicy  grass.  The  shepherd  should  be  care- 
ful to  provide  pure,  fresh  water,  salt,  and  shade 
for  the  sheep  on  pasture,  in  order  that  the  flock 
may  thrive  properly.  At  this  time  he  is  relieved 
more  or  less  from  the  restless  hours  and  worry  of 
lambing,  shearing,  and  feet  trimming,  and  is  en- 
joying a  little  rest.  He  must  now,  however,  begin 
to  think  about  work  that  may  be  done  in  the  field 
to  provide  some  kind  of  forage  to  help  him  out 
with  his  flock  at  the  time  when  pastures  are  gen- 
t'rally  short  and  scanty  on  account  of  the  dry 
weather  of  midsummer.  He  must  also  bear  in 
mind  that  when  the  time  comes  to  wean  lambs  he 
should  have  a  fresh  piece  of  pasture  for  them  away 
from  the  older  sheep.  In  some  cases  the  lambs 
may  be  grazed  on  a  field  from  which  the  first  crop 
of  hay  has  been  taken.  Even  if  such  a  pasture  is 
available  a  piece  of  rape  should  be  sown  in  the 
spring  early  enough  to  be  ripe  July  25  to  August 
10,  the  usual  time  for  weaning  lambs,  for  rape  is 
an  excellent  fodder  for  lambs.  Indeed  rape  has 

(131) 


Summer  Feeding  and  Care.  133 

an  unusual  value  for  feeding  all  classes  of  sheep, 
and  a  great  amount  of  feed  can  be  obtained  from 
an  acre.  It  may  be  sown  broadcast,  or  it  may  be 
drilled  in.  If  time  permits,  it  is  far  better  to  sow 
it  in  rows  thirty  inches  apart,  as  much  more  feed 
can  then  be  grown  on  an  acre  and  the  crop  can 
also  be  cultivated,  thus  holding  the  weeds  in  check. 
Sheep  will  then  waste  but  little  of  the  rape  when 
turned  into  it,  as  they  will  walk  between  the  rows 
and  eat  on  both  sides. 

Roots,  such  as  rutabagas  and  turnips,  should  also 
be  sown  for  late  fall  and  winter  feeding.  Good 
roots  are  just  as  well  liked  by  sheep  in  the  win- 
ter time  as  cake  and  pie  are  liked  by  man.  They 
should  be  kept  in  a  well-ventilated  cellar  where 
they  will  not  freeze  or  rot.  Cabbage  is  an  excel- 
lent feed  for  all  classes  of  sheep,  but  is  usually  too 
expensive  to  feed  extensively.  However,  where 
large  fields  of  cabbage  are  grown  for  the  market, 
sheep  can  well  be  fed  the  leaves  and  unsalable 
heads  which  are  left  after  the  crop  is  harvested. 

SUGAR    BEETS    AND    MANGELS    A    DANGEROUS    FEED    FOR 
RAMS  AND  WETHERS. 

For  many  years  sheep  breeders  in  this  country 
as  well  as  in  England  have  been  aware  of  the  f-\c\ 
that  sugar  beets  and  mangels  are  dangerous  for 
ram  and  wether  feeding.  Trials  covering  five  years 


134  Sheep  Management. 

at  the  Iowa  Experiment  Station  have  shown  this 
to  be  true.  The  writer  in  his  earlier  years,  not 
having  had  as  much  experience  as  he  should  have 
had,  learned  costly  lessons  by  feeding  these  roots 
to  rams  and  wethers  and  consequently  losing  a 
number  of  good,  high-priced  animals.  Mangels 
and  sugar  beets  contain  some  substances  which  af- 
fect the  kidneys  and  form  gravel  stones  in  the  kid- 
neys and  bladder,  stopping  up  the  passage  of  the 
urinary  canal.  When  this  passage  is  blocked, 
rams  and  wethers  suffer  terribly  and  die  within 
forty-eight  hours,  at  most,  on  account  of  the  hurst- 
ing  of  the  bladder. 

While  these  roots  have  proven  so  fatal  to  rams 
and  wethers  the  writer  1ms  fed  mangels  and  sugar 
beets  extensively  during  many  seasons  to  breed- 
ing ewes  and  has  never  experienced  any  trouble 
therefrom.  This  is  probably  due  to  the  fact  that 
in  rams  and  wethers  the  urinary  canal  is  no  more 
than  about  one-sixteenth  inch  in  diameter,  and  the 
small  stones  forming  in  the  bladder  cannot  pass 
through  the  canal.  The  ewes,  however,  have  a 
much  larger  urinary  canal,  permitting  the  escape 
of  the  stones. 

FLUSHING  THI:  i:\vi:s. 

A  breeding  ewe,  if  expected  to  uphold  her  vital- 
ity and  vigor,  needs  a  vacation  once  a  year.  She 
may  have  been  a  good  mother,  a  heavy  milker,  and 


Summer  Feeding  and  Care.  135 

have  raised  one,  two,  or  perhaps  even  three  lambs. 
Although  she  has  had  good  care  and  pasture  she 
will  naturally  be  run  down  somewhat  in  condition, 
because  the  greatest  portion  of  the  feed  she  has 
consumed  has  been  utilized  for  the  production  of 
milk.  She  therefore  needs  a  rest  before  she  is  bred 
again,  and  the  time  for  her  vacation  will  be  be- 
tween the  weaning  and  breeding  periods.  During 
this  time  the  breeding  ewe  ought  to  be  what  is 
commonly  termed  "flushed."  Flushing  means 
bringing  the  ewe  from  a  thin  condition  into  a  good, 
strong,  vigorous  condition  in  a  short  time.  When 
this  is  done  the  breeding  ewe  will  be  in  the  proper 
condition  to  assume  her  duty  again  when  the 
breeding  time  arrives. 

Flushing  is  highly  recommended,  for  it  has  sev- 
eral advantages.  How  can  a  ewe  which  has  been 
suckling  her  lamb  all  summer  be  brought  into 
proper  shape  to  take  up  her  new  burden  at  breed- 
ing time  unless  her  lamb  is  weaned  and  she  is 
flushed  before  she  is  bred?  If  bred  in  a  thin,  run- 
down condition  she  must  resume  work  again  im- 
mediately and  will  probably  be  brought  into  win- 
ter quarters  thin  and  weak.  In  such  condition  she 
will  be  subject  to  many  more  diseases.  She  will 
be  so  delicate  that  any  little  cold  which  may  at- 
tack her  in  this  condition  is  liable  to  cause  her 
death,  while  another  ewe  in  good  condition  will 
resist  the  attack. 


136  Sheep  Management. 

Another  benefit  that  may  be  of  interest,  which  is 
derived  from  the  practice  of  flushing  ewes,  is  the 
fact  that  to  a  certain  extent  the  flockmaster  fol- 
lowing this  practice  has  control  over  the  percent- 
age of  lambs  dropped  by  his  ewes  the  following 
lambing  time.  It  has  been  found  that  whenever 
ewes  and  rams  are  mated  that  arc  both  in  a  strong, 
vigorous  condition  and  full  of  vim  more  twins  and 
triplets  may  be  expected.  These  results  can,  how- 
ever, only  be  obtained  when  both  sire  and  dam  are 
in  good  condition.  If  the  rani  is  in  good  condition 
and  the  ewe  is  thin,  or  if  the  reverse  is  the  case, 
then  these  results  cannot  be  accomplished.  Both 
ram  and  ewe  must  be  vigorous  and  strong. 

Another  point  in  favor  of  having  the  ewes 
flushed  before  breeding  is  the  fact  that  when  prop- 
erly flushed  the  flock  of  ewes  will  all  breed  within 
a  shorter  lime,  thus  shortening  up  the  lambing 
period.  This  will  save  the  shepherd  much  loss  of 
sleep. 

The  writer  does  not  know  of  any  feed  that  will 
flush  ewes  heller  and  more  cheaply  than  rape. 
This  plant,  when  fully  matured,  will  not  lead  to 
bloat  in  sheep.  When  the  lower  leaves  on  the  stem 
begin  to  turn  yellow,  as  well  as  the  lips  of  the 
upper  leaves,  the  rape  is  ripe  and  matured,  and  it 
may  now  be  fed  with  safety.  The  rape  seems  to 
stimulate  the  inner  organs  of  the  sheep,  making 


Summer  Feeding  and  Care.  137 

the  ewes  vigorous  and  strong  and  causing  them  to 
regain  flesh.  If,  however,  no  rape  has  been  grown 
for  this  purpose  the  next  best  feed  is  grain,  which 
is  of  course  more  expensive.  Oats  have  proved 
satisfactory,  and  cabbage  may  also  be  recom- 
mended. 

CULLIN7G  THE  EWE  FLOCK. 

Before  breeding  is  to  begin  in  the  fall,  the  flock 
ought  to  be  culled.  All  ewes  that  have  not  proved 
to  be  good  producers  and  do  not  furnish  enough 
milk  to  raise  at  least  one  good  lamb  should  be  the 
first  to  be  culled  out.  All  other  ewes  that  have 
broken  mouths,  or  whose  udders  or  teats  have  ac- 
cidentally become  spoiled,  should  be  sold  to  the 
butcher  while  still  in  a  fleshy  condition.  At  this 
time  the  shepherd  must  judge  as  to  which  ewes 
ought  to  be  disposed  of  and  which  ought  to  be  re- 
tained. He  knows  every  individual  and  knows 
their  records  of  production  perhaps  better  than 
the  owner  of  the  flock  himself,  who  may  make  it  a 
point  to  inspect  the  flock  but  once  in  a  while.  Such 
men  make  mistakes  very  easily  as  they  generally 
select  the  best  looking  ewes  to  be  retained  and 
dispose  of  the  thin  looking  ones,  not  knowing  that 
the  fat  ones  did  not  give  much  milk,  and  conse- 
quently are  in  fine  trim  at  this  time.  Let  the  shep- 
herd, who  knows  each  ewe  and  knows  what  she 


138 


Sheep  Management. 


has  done,  do  tlu«  culling,  rather  than  someone  else 
who  is  not  so  familiar  with  the  flock. 

Cl  LLIN(i    THi:    LAMH    FLOCK. 

Later  in  the  fall  the  lamb  flock  should  also  be 
culled.  For  the  further  improvement  of  the  flock 
all  the  best  ewe  lambs  should  be  reserved  each 


i'i  MI      I.I.      A    tfioup    "f    ><arliiiK    \\Hhrrs    llttrd    ut    tin-    t  nivrr>il>     of 
\\ist  onsiii   for  rla>srouin  <lrmonMruti<>n.   IH'JK. 

year,  to  take  the  place  of  the  ewes  that  are  culled 
out  and  sold.  We  often  hear  of  men  who  sell 
their  host  ewe  lambs  and  keep  the  inferior  ones, 
simply  because  the  butcher  pays  a  cent  or  so  more 
per  pound  for  those  of  the  more  desirable  class. 
This  is  poor  policy,  and  the  owner  is  the  loser  in 
the  end.  All  other  spare  lambs  may  be  sold  when 
the  market  is  good  and  the  prices  high. 


Summer  Feeding  and  Care.  139 

CARE  AT  BREEDING  TIME. 

The  proper  time  to  breed  in  the  fall  depends 
entirely  upon  the  judgment  of  the  flockowner.  If 
he  has  warm  quarters  for  early-born  lambs,  ewes 
may  be  bred  early;  if  such  quarters  cannot  be  pro- 
vided, it  is  better  not  to  have  the  lambs  come  so 
soon.  Another  factor  which  determines  the  time 
of  breeding  is  whether  lambs  are  to  be  sold  for 
early  or  for  late  market.  The  breeder  must  suit 
himself,  and  should  act  according  to  existing  con- 
ditions. 

Before  the  ram  is  allowed  to  come  to  the  ewes 
they  should  be  nicely  tagged.  This  means  clipping 
all  surplus  wool  oil'  from  the  end  of  the  tail,  which 
materially  aids  the  ram  in  mating  with  the  ewes 
and  saves  his  vitality.  It  also  insures  less  barren 
ewes  in  the  flock.  The  general  appearance  of  a 
flock  of  ewes  is  also  greatly  improved  if  they  are 
properly  tagged. 

NECESSITY  OF  SALT. 

It  has  been  stated  elsewhere  that  sheep  should 
have  access  to  salt  at  all  times  of  the  year,  for  salt 
is  an  absolute  necessity  for  them  and  when  they 
;uv  deprived  of  it  great  loss  sometimes  results. 
Salt  furnishes  chlorine  for  the  digestive  juices  of 
the  stomach  and  is  also  required  for  the  proper 
functioning  of  many  of  the  body  organs.  If  salt 


140  Sheep  Management. 

is  not  supplied  the  digestion  of  the  sheep  will  be 
impaired  and  serious  consequences  will  follow. 
Sheep  crave  salt,  and  when  it  is  given  to  them  only 
once  in  a  while  they  will  usually  eat  too  much  at 
one  time1.  They  will  then  drink  excessive  amounts 
of  water,  which  will  upset  the  digestive  organs 
and  often  cause  severe  scouring.  If  salt  is  sup- 
plied in  abundance  at  all  times,  at  no  time  will 
the  sheep  consume  an  excessive  amount.  Theiv- 
forr,  if  all  is  to  go  well  in  the  flock,  one  must  not 
fail  to  provide'  snlt  every  day  of  the  year. 

Ki:i:i>    DOWN    liUKDOCKS    AM)    SANDlit  HS. 

Burdocks  and  sandhill's  arc  hitter  enemies  to  the 
watchful  llockmastcr.  When  he  notices  that  some 
of  the  sheep  have  collected  any  of  these  mean  burs, 
he  becomes  alarmed,  knowing  that  the  appear- 
ance of  his  flock  is  much  injured.  Hut  this  is  not 
all.  He  also  realizes  that  the  value  of  the  wool  is 
lessened  when  it  comes  to  selling  it,  since  buyers 
greatly  object  to  wool  in  such  a  condition.  Again, 
suppose  the  shepherd  wants  to  show  some  of  his 
sheep  at  the  county  fair.  Can  he  do  it  when  their 
fleeces  are  matted  together  with  these  burs?  He 
may  show  them  but  they  will  not  win  any  pri/es, 
as  the  fleeces  of  prize  winners  must  be  in  good, 
clean  condition.  The  judge  will  not  injure  his 
hands  on  such  sheep  by  handling  them,  instead  IK 


Summer  Feeding  and  Care.  141 

will  pass  them  by.  The  writer  has  seen  such  sheep 
at  county  fairs,  but  he  did  not  prick  his  fingers  by 
handling  them.  If  a  shepherd  wants  to  trim  his 
sheep  a  little,  how  can  he  do  it  if  these  burs  are 
present  in  the  fleece?  It  may  be  done  by  spending 
a  great  deal  of  time  picking  them  out,  but  this  is 
a  very  slow  and  unpleasant  job,  and  after  much 
picking  the  shepherd  cannot  even  then  get  the 
fleece  into  proper  shape,  to  say  nothing  about 
spoiling  his  sheep  shears. 

When  the  first  sheep  is  noticed  carrying  some  of 
these  pests  a  thorough  search  should  be  made  over 
the  field  in  which  the  sheep  are  pasturing,  and 
wherever  these  miserable  weeds  are  found  they 
should  be  cut  down  and  burned,  and  should  then 
be  fought  to  a  finish  until  they  are  all  destroyed. 
The  writer  has  never  believed  in  Sunday  work,  ex- 
cept performing  the  necessary  chores,  as  the  day 
belongs  to  God  and  in  the  writer's  opinion  no  man 
has  ever  gained  much  by  doing  work  on  Sunday 
that  should  be  done  on  Saturday  or  Monday.  How- 
ever, if  on  walking  through  the  sheep  pasture  on 
Sunday  he  should  see  a  clump  of  burdocks,  he 
would  immediately  take  out  his  jack-knife  and 
destroy  them,  because  he  despises  them  so  much. 
Of  course,  if  there  were  many  of  them  he  would 
not  meddle  with  them  on  Sunday,  but  would  go 
after  them  on  Monday  morning  before  breakfast. 


142  Sheep  Management. 

DANGERS  OF  DEAD  FURROWS. 

The  writer  wishes  to  call  the  attention  of  the 
beginner  in  the  sheep  business  to  the  fact  that  when 
the  sheep  are  turned  out  on  pasture  it  is  a  wise 


PLATK  44.     First  pri/e  pure-bred   Shropshire   wether   lamb   at   the   In- 
ternational, 1910,  shown  by  the  University  of  Wisconsin. 

plan  to  look  over  the  land  to  see  if  there  are  any 
traps  for  them,  that  is,  whether  there  are  any  shal- 
low depressions,  such  as  dead  furrows,  in  the 
field  where  the  flock  pastures.  In  such  depres- 
sions sheep  like  to  lie  down,  especially  over  night. 


Summer  Feeding  and  Care.  143 

These  little  hollows  are  exceedingly  dangerous, 
especially  if  they  are  not  much  wider  than  the 
sheep,  because  sheep  when  lying  down  will  some- 
times roll  over  on  their  backs  and  on  account  of 
the  small  space  will  find  it  impossible  to  turn  back 
again.  The  ground  on  both  sides  is  higher,  thus 
affording  the  sheep  no  chance  of  getting  up  again, 
and  after  lying  in  this  position  for  two  or  three 
hours  it  will  die.  Dead  furrows  in  fields  are  per- 
haps the  most  dangerous  places  for  sheep  to  be 
trapped  this  way. 

It  is  discouraging  to  find  a  plump,  broad-backed 
ewe  or  lamb  lying  dead  in  one  of  these  ditches  or 
dead  furrows,  with  its  four  legs  standing  straight 
up  in  the  air.  One  will  never  find  a  thin,  narrow- 
backed  sheep  lying  on  its  back,  but  in  every  in- 
stance it  is  one  of  the  very  best  in  the  flock.  It  is 
taken  for  granted  that  older  flockmasters  need  not 
be  warned  to  be  cautious  in  this  respect,  for  they 
have  probably  long  ago  learned  through  experi- 
ence the  danger  of  such  dead  furrows  and  ditches. 
It  is  an  old  saying  that  experience  is  the  best 
teacher.  True  enough,  but  the  lesson  learned 
through  self-experience  is  very  often  the  most  ex- 
pensive one.  How  can  the  beginner  with  sheep  be 
expected  to  know  all  about  small  details  if  he 
has  not  been  warned  by  some  one  who  has  gone 
through  the  mill  and  has  paid  for  his  grinding? 


144  Sheep  Management. 

If  men  who  have  had  long  years  of  experience  and 
who  take  all  the  necessary  precautions,  sometimes 
stumble,  how  many  more  mistakes  must  the  be- 
ginner make. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 
FEEDING  SHEEP  FOR  MARKET. 

Feeding  sheep  for  market  has  proved  very  prof- 
itable to  the  men  who  have  followed  it  extensively 
for  a  number  of  years.  Some  men,  however,  when 
newly  starting  in  the  business,  struck  one  or  two 
seasons  that  were  not  profitable,  and  consequently 
gave  up  this  work  in  disgust,  declaring  it  a  failure. 
Many  men,  when  they  see  others  making  money 
in  any  line  of  business,  will  jump  into  the  same 
work,  with  the  wrong  idea  that  they  are  as  well 
qualified  for  the  undertaking  and  are  just  as 
capable  of  solving  the  problems  as  those  who  have 
learned  the  business  through  years  of  experience. 
Those  who  know  the  ups  and  downs  through  prac- 
tice have  reached  the  point  where  they  can  obtain 
a  handsome  profit  almost  any  season  by  sheep 
feeding.  Some  years  there  is  a  large  margin,  and 
others  a  smaller  one,  but,  on  the  average,  men 
feeding  sheep  for  market  have  made  considerable 
money,  and  some  have  acquired  great  wealth  from 
this  source.  However,  the  profit  that  can  be  de- 
rived from  the  undertaking  depends  largely  upon 
the  purchase  price  of  the  sheep,  the  prices  of  feed, 
and  last  but  not  least,  the  kind  of  market.  If  feed- 

10  (145) 


146  Sheep  Management. 

ers  are  very  high-priced  in  the  fall  one  cannot  ex- 
pect a  large  margin  over  the  purchase  price,  feed, 
and  labor,  unless  high  prices  for  finished  mutton 
are  realized. 

In  the  Eastern  and  Middle  States  not  as  many 
sheep  and  lamhs  are  annually  fed  as  in  the  West- 
ern States.  Michigan  perhaps  leads  in  the  East, 
while  Colorado  is  foremost  in  the  West.  However, 
smaller  numbers  of  them  are  fed  for  market  in 
nearly  every  state.  Since  the  writer  cannot  dis- 
cuss the  large  feeding  operations  in  the  West  from 
personal  experience,  he  will  confine  his  discussion 
of  the  subject  to  the  home  industry  where  sheep 
arc  fed  for  market  on  a  smaller  scale.  In  many 
sections  of  the  country  a  considerable  number  of 
men  feed  one  or  two  carloads  each  winter.  Oth- 
ers may  just  be  starting  in,  and  it  is  to  these  that 
the  writer  wishes  to  speak  in  particular. 

AGE  OF  SHEEP  TO  HE  FED. 

It  is  generally  admitted  among  feeders  that 
lambs  bring  more  profit  when  put  in  the  feed  lot 
than  older  sheep,  for  the  simple  reason  that  it  re- 
quires less  pounds  of  feed  to  produce  a  pound  of 
gain  in  lambs  than  in  yearlings  or  still  older  sheep. 
The  lamb  in  the  feed  lot  is  not  only  putting  on 
flesh,  but  is  at  the  same  time  growing  in  size,  while 
the  older  sheep  though  spreading  and  developing 


Feeding  Sheep  for  Market.  147 

more  in  width  of  body  and  also  putting  on  flesh, 
is  actually  not  growing  in  size  any  more  after  it 
reaches  the  age  of  two  years.  Wherever  practi- 
cable, it  will  pay  the  feeder  to  secure  lambs  for 
feeding,  unless,  of  course,  he  can  get  yearlings  or 
two-year-olds  at  a  very  low  cost,  which  will  enable 
him  to  realize  a  good  profit  from  his  investment. 
Fat  lambs  are  in  greater  demand  on  the  market 
than  older  sheep,  and  are  therefore  generally 
higher  in  price. 

SELECTION  OF  FEEDERS. 

In  selecting  feeders  one  ought  to  be  very  care- 
ful to  get  sound,  healthy  sheep  and  not  buy  a  lot 
that  is  probably  infested  with  internal  parasites, 
as  stomach  or  tape  worms,  or  with  scab  or  foot  rot. 
If  the  feeder  is  not  watchful  he  will  cut  his  profit 
down  right  at  the  beginning  by  losing  some  of  the 
sheep  which  were  unsound  when  bought.  He 
should  therefore  examine  their  eyes  and  skin,  as 
has  been  explained  in  a  previous  chapter  of  this 
work,  in  order  to  make  sure  that  they  do  not  have 
parasites.  Many  feeders  prefer  range  sheep  to 
natives,  since  range  sheep  are  generally  free  from 
internal  parasites.  If  they  are  only  infested  with 
ticks  or  lice  they  may  easily  be  freed  from  these 
pests  by  dipping  them,  but  it  will  be  a  more  diffi- 
cult task  to  cure  them  of  skin  diseases  or  internal 


148  Sheep  Management. 

parasites.  It  is  also  unprofitable  to  meddle  with 
sheep  that  have  old,  broken  mouths  and  are  there- 
fore unable  to  chew  their  feed  properly  and  hence 
must  have  all  the  grain  ground  for  them.  It  has 
further  been  learned  that  sheep  or  lambs  that  are 
in  pretty  fair  condition  when  they  arc  placed  in 
the  feed  lot  make  better  gains  than  those  that  are 
in  too  thin  a  condition  at  the  time.  In  a  trial  at 
the  Wisconsin  Station,  lambs  accustomed  to  grain 
from  the  time  of  birth  were  able  to  make  a  weekly 
gain  of  .'f.8  pounds  per  head  for  a  period  of  twelve 
weeks  feeding.  Other  lambs,  not  receiving  any 
grain  until  they  were  put  in  the  feed  lot  in  the 
fall,  with  the  most  judicious  care  and  feeding  only 
gained  2..">  pounds  per  head  per  week  for  the  same 
length  of  time.  The  first  lot  made  a  net  profit  of 
$1.10  per  head,  while  the  others  made  only  $.80 
per  head. 

in  all  cases  a  class  of  sheep  should  be  obtained 
that  have  good,  wide  body  frames,  that  are  broad 
and  low-down  to  the  ground,  and  that  have  broad 
heads.  Pay  no  attention  to  the  long-legged,  nar- 
row-bodied, long-necked,  and  slim-faced  class,  as 
they  require  more  feed  to  produce  a  pound  of  gain 
in  weight  than  the  right  class  will,  and  are  there- 
fore less  profitable  to  feed.  Of  course,  it  is  well 
understood  that  the  feeder  cannot  always  get  ex- 
actly what  he  is  striving  to  secure,  but  he  should 


Feeding  Sheep  for  Market.  149 

not  be  satisfied  to  obtain  a  class  that  will  not  give 
him  the  largest  net  returns  from  the  feeding  opera- 
tion. 

When  purchased  by  a  carload  or  more,  some  of 
the  sheep  or  lambs  will  be  larger  than  the  others. 
The  larger  ones  generally  take  advantage  of  the 
smaller  ones  at  the  feed  trough  and  push  them 
back,  and  in  this  way  get  more  than  their  share 
of  the  feed.  To  give  them  all  an  equal  chance  a 
good  plan  is  to  group  them  in  two  or  more  lots, 
each  size  by  itself.  They  usually  do  much  better 
in  smaller  lots  than  when  too  many  are  bunched 
together. 

THE  PRINCIPLES  OF  FEEDING. 

Some  feeders  do  not  obtain  as  good  results  as 
others,  simply  because  they  have  not  yet  learned 
the  few  underlying  principles  which,  when  care- 
fully observed,  lead  to  success. 

1.  Gentleness  and  patience. — A  sheep  is  fright- 
ened very  easily.  Therefore,  the  feeder  in  charge 
must  not  be  one  of  the  coarse,  rough  men  who  will 
make  his  way  into  the  feed  lot  by  kicking  and 
pounding  the  sheep  that  get  in  his  way.  Gentle 
treatment  counts  for  a  great  deal  in  this  line  of 
work,  since  sheep  make  more  and  cheaper  gains 
when  treated  kindly.  Many  a  time  the  writer  has 
had  his  cap  or  hat' pulled  off  from  his  head  when 


150  Sheep  Management. 

stooping  down  to  clean  out  feed  troughs,  but 
nevertheless  the  lambs  were  not  abused  for  so 
doing.  On  the  contrary  the  feeder  rather  enjoys 
this  playfulness,  because  he  feels  that  the  lambs 
have  full  confidence  in  him  and  fear  no  harm. 

The  good  feeder  should  also  be  patient.  It  often 
happens  that  an  inquisitive  lamb  will  stand  with 
its  front  feet  in  the  trough  and  perhaps  soil  it  some- 
what, just  after  it  has  been  cleaned  out  nicely  be- 
fore feeding.  The  patient  feeder  in  this  case  will 
not  run  after  the  lamb  and  try  to  make  it  under- 
stand that  this  act  was  wrong.  He  will  reclean 
the  trough  and  say  nothing.  Sheep  will  always 
well  repay  the  kind  treatment  that  is  shown  thorn. 
The  man  who  rushes  into  the  feed  lot  without 
warning  the  sheep  of  his  approach  by  speaking  to 
them,  so  that  they  will  not  become  frightened  and 
run  for  doors  and  windows  to  get  away  from  him 
as  far  as  possible,  is  and  will  always  be  a  poor 
feeder  until  he  begins  to  change  his  ways.  Any 
man  who  does  not  care  for  sheep  should  never  be 
allowed  to  feed  them,  as  he  will  certainly  not  make 
good. 

2.  (Cleanliness. — At  all  times  it  is  necessary  to 
practice  cleanliness.  Sheep  do  not  require  as  much 
feed  as  other  classes  of  live  stock,  but  this  com- 
paratively small  amount  must  by  all  means  be 
clean,  for  sheep  are  more  particular  as  to  what 


Feeding  Sheep  for  Market.  151 

they  eat  than  most  farm  animals.  It  will  never  do 
to  try  to  make  them  eat  grain  that  has  been 
scratched  over  by  the  chickens  many  times  and  is 
soiled.  Nor  can  they  be  forced  to  eat  some  of  the 
commercial  feeds,  or  hay  that  has  a  bad  odor. 
The  feed  troughs  must,  furthermore,  be  thoroughly 
cleaned  out  before  each  meal  and  must  always  be 
kept  in  a  sweet  condition.  Have  you  ever  noticed 
that  wherever  there  are  a  few  droppings  of  a  sheep 
in  the  feed  trough  sheep  will  eat  all  the  clean  grain 
around  this  place,  but  will  not  touch  the  soiled 
grain  that  is  on  or  near  it?  It  will  certainly  pay 
any  feeder  to  practice  cleanliness,  as  the  sheep 
itself  is  a  clean  animal. 

3.  Punctuality. — By  punctuality  we  mean  in  this 
case  that  a  certain  time  be  scheduled  for  feeding 
each  day,  and  for  each  meal  in  particular.  This 
time  should  be  fixed  definitely  right  at  the  start. 
Brother  feeder,  have  you  ever  stopped  to  realize 
the  importance  of  punctuality  in  sheep  feeding? 
Have  you  ever  considered  how  much  better  and 
cheaper  gains  can  be  made  in  feeding  when  the 
time  set  for  each  meal  is  strictly  adhered  to  ? 

Visit  a  good  feeder,  get  into  deep  conversation 
with  him  on  some  important  subject,  and  try  to 
make  him  forget  the  time  for  feeding  his  sheep. 
You  will  notice  him  pulling  out  his  watch  every 
little  while  to  see  whether  the  time  for  feeding  has 


Feeding  Sheep  for  Market.  153 

come,  and  when  the  hour  has  arrived  he  will  un- 
doubtedly ask  to  be  excused  so  that  he  may  do  his 
feeding.  He  is  aware  of  the  fact  that  his  sheep 
are  accustomed  to  getting  their  meals  at  a  certain 
fixed  time,  and  that  when  the  feeder  fails  to  be  on 
hand  the  sheep  begin  to  bleat  and  worry  and  won- 
der what  could  have  happened  to  their  feeder. 
The  longer  the  delay  after  the  regular  feeding 
hour,  the  more  flesh  they  worry  off,  instead  of 
putting  on.  Remember  that  your  profit  will  de- 
pend a  good  deal  on  the  value  and  importance 
you  place  upon  punctuality  in  feeding. 

Another  point  of  great  value  is  that  the  feeding 
should  be  done  as  quickly  as  possible.  Grain,  the 
feed  which  is  eaten  up  the  most  rapidly,  is  gener- 
ally fed  first.  Roughage  is  fed  last  of  all,  in  order 
to  give  the  sheep  ample  time  to  pick  it  over  and 
allow  the  feeder  to  get  through  so  that  he  can  per- 
form other  urgent  work.  It  would  certainly  not 
be  very  wise  to  give  them  their  grain  ration,  which 
is  eaten  up  in  a  short  time,  and  in  the  meantime 
go  away  and  forget  all  about  giving  them  their  next 
ration.  Such  action  would  be  absolutely  unprofit- 
able. Feed  them  their  grain,  if  so  planned,  and 
when  this  is  cleaned  up,  the  next  ration,  and  so  on 
until  all  is  given  them  that  is  to  be  fed  at  one  meal. 
After  they  have  eaten  their  full  ration  allow  them 
to  lie  down  and  rest  undisturbed  until  the  next 


154  Sheep  Management. 

meal  time.  This  will  give  them  plenty  of  time  to 
chew  their  cud  and  properly  digest  their  meal.  It 
has  been  found  at  the  Wisconsin  Station  that  feed- 
ing fattening  lambs  only  twice  a  day  is  sufficient, 
and  is  even  more  conducive  to  rapid  growth  than 
feeding  three  times  daily.  As  sheep  are  mostly 
fattened  in  the  winter  time  when  the  days  are  short 
it  is  well  to  begin  feeding  about  six  o'clock  A.  M. 
and  again  at  four  o'clock  P.  M.,  making  it  entirely 
unnecessary  to  feed  them  at  noon. 

-1.  Judgment.  The  person  who  does  the  sheep 
feeding  should  be  one  who  likes  sheep.  There  is 
no  sense  whatever  in  trying  to  have  a  man  feed 
sheep  who  dislikes  them  or  who  possesses  no  judg- 
ment. The  feeder's  ability  and  judgment  are  shown 
in  even-  case  of  success  or  failure.  The  careful 
feeder  watches  all  the  members  in  the  lot  of  sheep 
closely,  studies  their  appetites,  and  feeds  them  just 
enough  so  as  to  prevent  overfeeding  at  any  one 
meal.  He  begins  lightly  and  gradually  increases 
their  feed,  for  if  they  are  overfed  at  one  meal  they 
will  often  scour  and  may  then  lose  as  much  in  live 
weight  in  three  days  as  can  be  restored  in  the  fol- 
lowing two  weeks.  Scouring  will  also  make  the 
wool  filthy,  thus  greatly  injuring  the  appearance 
of  the  sheep. 

The  same  person  should  always  do  the  feeding. 
If  by  accident  an  unfamiliar  person  who  is  not  ac- 


Feeding  Sheep  for  Market.  155 

quainted  with  the  capacity  of  the  sheep  in  his 
charge  and  the  proper  allowance  to  be  given  them 
is  allowed  to  do  the  feeding  at  any  time  he  is  apt 
to  upset  the  whole  lot.  One  feeder  also  may  be 
able  to  feed  economically,  while  another  may  be 
wasteful.  For  example,  sheep  make  their  best 
gains  in  fairly  cold  weather  when  the  temperature 
is  nearly  down  to  zero.  If  they  are  then  on  full 
feed  they  may  be  pushed  along  steadily.  But  if 
now  all  at  once  warm  weather  sets  in  the  well- 
posted  feeder  will  cut  down  on  the  grain  ration, 
because  he  knows  that  sheep,  especially  lambs, 
cannot  stand  as  much  grain  in  warm  weather  as 
in  cold  weather.  On  the  other  hand,  the  feeder 
who  is  ignorant  of  this  fact  will  feed  the  same 
amount  with  the  result  that  he  gets  them  off  feed, 
and  it  is  a  difficult  matter  to  have  them  regain 
their  appetite  when  once  it  is  lost.  Not  much  can 
be  accomplished  when  the  same  person  does  not 
do  the  feeding  each  day,  as  the  one  is  liable  to 
spoil  what  the  other  has  accomplished.  In  all  cases 
feeding  grain  must  be  begun  lightly  in  order  to 
avoid  overfilling  and  scouring. 

LITTLE  EXERCISE  FOR  FATTENING  SHEEP. 

It  has  already  been  stated  that  too  much  exer- 
cise cannot  be  given  to  pregnant  ewes.  Sheep 
when  being  fattened  for  market  do  not,  however, 


156 


Sheep  Management. 


need  much  exercise.  They  may  be  given  a  little 
exercise  now  and  then,  but  in  general  they  gain 
faster  if  not  allowed  to  run  about  at  all,  but  if 
kept  closely  confined  to  their  quarters. 


PLATE  46.  Second  prize  pure-bred  Shropshire  yearling  wether  at 
the  International,  1907,  bred  by  Arthur  Broughton,  Albany,  Wis.,  and 
flttcd  and  shown  by  the  University  of  Wisconsin. 


Feeding  Sheep  for  Market.  157 

HAND-FEEDING  OR   SELF-FEEDERS. 

Where  a  large  number  of  sheep  or  lambs  are  fed 
at  any  one  place  and  good  feeders  of  sheep  are 
scarce  it  is  perhaps  feasible  to  employ  self-feeders, 
for  by  the  use  of  self-feeders  a  great  deal  of  hand 
labor  is  saved.  Where  smaller  lots  are  being  fed, 
however,  hand-feeding  can  be  much  more  highly 
recommended,  since  sheep  are  greedy,  and  when 
they  have  free  access  to  the  grain  they  often  eat 
too  much  of  it.  In  many  instances  a  large  number 
of  lambs  have  been  lost  on  account  of  overloaded 
stomachs  caused  by  eating  too  much  grain. 

The  writer  at  one  time  visited  a  large  feeding 
plant  and  counted  ns  many  as  eleven  dead  lambs 
one  morning.  When  the  man  in  charge  was  ques- 
tioned ns  to  the  cause  of  death,  his  reply  was  that 
the  self-feeders  had  killed  them  by  allowing  them 
to  eat  too  much  grain.  The  writer  was  informed 
that  out  of  the  two  thousand  lambs  in  the  feed  lot 
some  were  lost  every  day  through  the  use  of  self- 
feeders.  The  danger  of  eating  too  much  grain  is 
prevented  when  hand-feeding  is  practiced.  Where 
large  numbers  are  fed,  and  labor  is  high,  however, 
the  large  operator  cannot  be  blamed  for  using  self- 
feeders. 

SHELTER. 

Whenever  possible,  shelter  should  be  provided 
for  the  fattening  sheep.  Yet  at  many  western  feed- 


158  Sheep  Management. 

ing  yards  no  shelter  whatever  is  given  the  she«-|>. 
But  when  sheep  are  not  sheltered  their  fleeces  at 
times  become  soaking  wet  from  rains  or  sno\\s. 
;nnl  the  result  is  lung  trouble  ;iml  pneumonia. 
They  do  not,  however,  need  a  warm  or  very  costly 
place.  All  that  is  necessary  is  a  simple  roof  over 
them  to  keep  them  dry.  Do  not  allow  feeding 
sheep  or  any  others  to  wade  or  sleep  in  ;i  \;inl 
where  the  mud  is  perhaps  knee  deep.  Any  kind 
of  sheep  like  to  have  it  dry  underneath  them,  and 
comfortable  dry  quarters  help  them  materially  to 
put  on  flesh. 

IOH  i  AITI:NIN<;. 


Many  large  feeding  operators  have  used  wheat 
screenings  chiefly  as  the  grain  ration.  The  writer 
is  unable  to  say  anything  relative  to  the  feeding 
value  of  wheat  screenings,  us  they  have  never  been 
used  ;it  this  Station  for  the  reason  that  they  con- 
tain large  amounts  of  weed  seeds,  which  will  L;<  I 
into  the  manure  in  spite  of  the  greatest  care  and 
be  brought  into  the  fields,  there  causing  havoc.  The 
best  and  cheapest  returns  in  different  trials  con- 
ducted at  this  Station  have  been  obtained  by  feed- 
ing shelled  corn,  provided  corn  is  available  at  a 
normal  price.  Dried  beet  pulp  also  has  given  very 
satisfactory  results,  and  stands  almost  equal  to 
corn  in  feeding  value  for  sheep,  besides  bein.n 
much  cheaper.  Oats,  when  used  jis  the  sole  grain, 


Feeding  Sheep  for  Market.  159 

have  never  given  much  profit  in  fattening  sheep 
or  lambs.  In  every  instance  the  cost  price  of  the 
different  grains  must  be  considered  as  well  as  their 
actual  feeding  value. 

As  already  stated,  nice  corn  stands  about  first  in 
rank  in  fattening  sheep.  Sheep  will  soon  get  tired 
of  pure  corn  feeding,  however,  and  the  best  feed- 
ers do  not  therefore  find  it  an  easy  matter  to  feed 
it  alone  for  any  great  length  of  time,  and  have  the 
sheep  progress  as  they  should.  For  this  reason  it 
is  advisable  to  mix  a  little  oats  and  bran  with  the 
corn,  in  order  to  have  a  more  balanced  ration. 
Where  the  grain  for  fattening  sheep  is  grown  on 
the  farm  no  better  ration  can  be  recommended 
than  a  mixture  of  two  parts  of  shelled  corn,  one 
part  of  oats,  and  one  part  of  bran.  Toward  the 
last  three  or  four  weeks  before  marketing,  a  little 
oilmeal  may  be  added  to  finish  them  of!'.  Barley 
is  likewise  of  great  value  for  this  purpose. 

Throughout  the  Western  range  district,  where 
corn  is  not  raised  in  large  quantities,  barley  is  ex- 
tensively used  for  fattening  sheep  and  lambs. 
Trials  conducted  at  the  Montana  and  South  Dakota 
Experiment  Stations  show  that  when  fed  as  the 
only  grain  allowance  to  fattening  range  lambs 
whole  barley  was  only  slightly  less  valuable  than 
corn. 


160  Sheep  Management. 

Wheat  should  not  he  fed  to  fattening  sheep  ex- 
cept when  oil'  grade  or  extremely  low  in  price,  as  • 
it  tends  to  produce  growth  rather  than  fat.  Trials 
at  the  South  Dakota  Station  show  that  durum  or 
macaroni  wheat  has  about  the  same  value  as  1m  ;nl 
wheat. 

Like  wheat,  oats  tend  to  produce  growth,  and 
therefore  it  is  not  best  to  use  them  as  the  sole  grain 
for  fattening.  As  already  staled  a  little  oats  will 
help  to  balance  up  corn  or  barley. 

Owing  to  the  greatly  increased  production  of 
cmmcr.  or  spelt/,  in  the  Western  States,  this  grain 
has  gained  some  importance  as  a  feed  for  fatten- 
ing sheep  and  lambs.  Trials  at  the  South  Dakota 
Station  showed  that  with  prairie  or  brome  hay 
cmmcr  was  much  less  valuable  than  corn.  In  a 
trial  at  the  Colorado  Station,  however,  emmer 
made  unusually  economical  gains  when  fed  with 
good  alfalfa  hay. 

Feeds  which  are  rich  in  crude  protein,  such  as 
linseed  meal,  cotton-seed  meal,  field  peas,  and  soy- 
beans, may  sometimes  be  profitably  mixed  with 
corn  or  other  grains  for  fattening  lambs  or  sheep, 
('.are  must  be  used  in  feeding  these  heavy  rich 
feeds. 

HOt  T,IIA(,i:S    I  OH    I  ATTKMNT,. 

The  legume  hays  furnish  the  best  roughages  for 
fattening  sheep.  In  the  Kasl  tlockowners  may  raise 


Feeding  Sheep  for  Market.  161 

clover  or  alfalfa,  those  in  the  South  cowpeas  and 
perhaps  alfalfa,  and  those  in  the  West  alfalfa.  In 
Colorado,  where  in  1907  two  million  lambs  and 
sheep  were  fed,  the  standard  ration  is  alfalfa  hay 
and  corn,  these  feeds  forming  about  ninety-five  per 
cent  of  all  the  feed  used. 

(iood  pen  straw,  and  also  bean  straw,  are  relished 
by  sheep.  Of  recent  years  a  few  sheep  have'  been 
sueeessfully  fattened  on  pea-cannery  refuse,  to- 
gether with  grain.  In  some  sections  of  the  West, 
especially  in  the  San  Luis  valley,  Colorado,  many 
lambs  and  sheep  are  grazed  on  field  peas.  The 
sheep  arc  turned  on  the  peas  as  soon  as  they  ma- 
ture, and  without  other  feed  are  fattened  in  from 
70  to  120  days. 

As  before  stilted,  timothy  or  marsh  hay  should 
never  be  offered  to  sheep  if  other  roughage  can  be 
secured,  (iood,  bright,  fine  oat  straw  is  preferable 
to  either  of  these  roughages. 

si  < CILKNT  FI:I:I>S. 

Succulent  feeds,  such  as  roots  and  corn  silage, 
are  valuable  in  feeding  sheep  for  market.  In  the 
writer's  experience  roots  not  only  keep  the  digest- 
ive organs  of  sheep  in  good  condition  but  also  make 
considerable  gain  and  increase  the  yolk  in  the  wool 
to  quite  an  extent.  Not  much  additional  gain  can 
be  expected  from  feeding  corn  silage  to  lambs, 
11 


T  = 


i   >. 


Feeding  Sheep  for  Market.  163 

but  this  feed  also  is  valuable  in  keeping  the  digest- 
ive organs  in  good  condition. 

Near  beet  sugar  factories  wet  beet  pulp  has 
proved  to  be  satisfactory  for  fattening  lambs  when 
fed  with  such  feeds  as  alfalfa  hay  and  corn. 

RAPE  FEEDING  PREVIOUS  TO  FATTENING. 

From  trials  carried  on  at  this  Station  it  has  been 
found  that  very  cheap  gains  have  been  made  by 
feeding  rape  previous  to  placing  the  sheep  in  the 
feed  lot.  If  a  piece  of  rape  is  sown  not  later  than 
July  1  it  will  come  in  handy  to  turn  the  sheep  onto 
before  they  are  placed  in  the  feed  lot.  In  an  ex- 
periment conducted  at  this  Station  lambs  pastured 
on  rape,  but  fed  no  grain,  made  as  large  gains  as 
others  on  good  grass  pasture  and  fed  one  pound 
of  grain  daily  but  no  rape.  In  other  words  one 
pound  of  grain  was  saved  by  each  lamb  daily,  and 
the  lambs  on  rape  made  just  as  much  gain  as  the 
other  lambs  that  received  one  pound  of  grain.  It 
was  further  learned  when  finishing  both  lots  off 
on  dry  feed  that  the  lambs  which  had  received 
rape  previously  did  considerably  better  than  the 
other  lot  not  receiving  rape  before  being  put  into 
the  feed  lot.  The  writer  must  say  that  he  has  al- 
ways placed  great  faith  in  rape  as  a  cheap  and 
valuable  feed  for  sheep. 


164  Sheep  Management. 

BEST  TIME  TO  MARKET. 

Lambs  arc  generally  fed  from  sixty  to  ninety 
clays  before  marketing,  depending  upon  the  condi- 
tion they  are  in  when  put  into  the  feed  lot.  The 
prices  on  the  market  must  also  be  taken  into  con- 
sideration. If  lambs  are  to  be  marketed  early  in 
the  season  the  feeding  should  be  commenced 
early,  so  that  they  may  be  ready  just  about  the 
time  when  the  rush  to  market  in  the  fall  is  over. 
There  are  times  when  there  is  a  notable  scarcity 
on  the  market,  one  of  which  is  between  the  mar- 
keting of  the  grass-fed  and  the  winter-fed  lot, 
from  about  December  10  to  January  10.  At  this 
time  lambs  usually  sell  for  high  prices,  since  the 
grass  lambs  have  all  come  to  market  and  most  of 
those  put  iu  Ihe  feed  lot  are  not  ready  for  market. 
By  having  the  lambs  ready  for  market  at  this  time 
strong  competition  may  be  avoided.  If  a  late  mar- 
ket is  decided  upon  the  feeding  may  be  started 
late,  so  as  to  get  the  lambs  on  the  market  when 
most  feeding  yards  are  exhausted,  namely  in  the 
latter  part  of  March  and  April.  Although  a  high- 
priced  market  cannot  be  guaranteed  for  these 
times  every  year,  still,  on  the  average,  compara- 
tively high  prices  are  paid  at  this  period  of  the 
year.  Always  try  to  bring  your  stuff  to  market 
when  the  other  fellow  is  not  there,  so  as  to  avoid 
competition. 


Feeding  Sheep  for  Market.  165 

Feeders  often  make  a  mistake  in  marketing 
their  lambs  before  they  are  fat.  Sheep  or  lambs 
that  are  not  in  a  fat  condition  when  brought  to  the 
market,  or  so-called  "half-fed"  stuff,  are  often  sold 
at  a  sacrifice.  Butchers  are  willing  to  pay  high 
prices  for  prime  animals,  but  are  just  as  unwilling 
to  pay  much  for  stuff  only  half  fat.  This  class  of 
sheep  suffers  from  depression  in  price  at  nearly 
all  times  of  the  year. 

Large,  heavy  ewes  are  invariably  considered  a 
drug  on  the  market,  while  lambs  weighing  from 
eighty  to  ninety  pounds  and  in  prime  condition  are 
readily  sold  at  good  prices.  The  eighty-five  pound 
lamb  is  in  greater  demand  on  the  market  than  the 
one  hundred  pound  lamb.  Packers  claim  that  the 
one  hundred  pound  lamb  is  not  as  profitable  to 
them  as  what  is  termed  the  "handy  weight"  lamb. 

In  a  lot  of  fattening  lambs  some  will  always 
thrive  better  and  put  on  flesh  more  rapidly  than 
others.  Therefore,  when  some  of  them  have  been 
properly  fattened  and  prices  are  right,  these 
should  be  selected  and  shipped  and  the  thinner 
ones  should  be  retained  and  fed  until  they  also 
have  become  fat. 

Before  marketing  lambs  clip  all  loose  locks  of 
wool  off  from  their  sides  and  necks,  caused  by 
rubbing  against  each  other  on  the  feed  troughs  or 
crowding  each  other  at  meal  time.  Also  tag  them 


166  Sheep  Management. 

nicely  around  the  tail.  When  this  is  done  at  least 
ten  per  cent  will  be  added  to  their  selling  price. 
Expert  buyers  do  not  judge  by  looks  alone,  and 
they  thoroughly  handle  the  sheep  before  bidding 
on  them.  Yet  the  clean,  broad,  and  square  appear- 
ance of  a  lamb  at  its  rear  adds  greatly  to  the  sell- 
ing price.  Never  forget  that  a  good  looking  bunch 
of  lambs  or  sheep  on  the  market  will  always  at- 
tract the  eye  of  the  buyer. 

now  TO  i  I:I:D  iiKioiu:  SIIIIMMNC.. 

It  is  a  very  foolish  practice  to  fill  lambs  up  on 
feed  to  their  utmost  capacity  before  loading  them 
for  market.  Some  feeders  believe  that  they  will 
gain  by  shilling  the  lambs  before  loading,  but  this 
is  not  the  case.  When  they  are  filled  up  in  such 
manner,  many  will  begin  to  scour  before  reaching 
the  market,  and  will  have  a  very  disagreeable  and 
filthy  appearance  when  they  arrive.  Such  lambs 
will  also  shrink  more  in  weight  than  those1  fed 
only  their  regular  ration,  or  even  less.  Kven  with 
proper  feeding  before  loading  the  shaking  they  get 
in  transit  in  freight  curs,  and  the  pulling  and  the 
noise  of  the  engine,  quite  a  change  of  conditions 
from  the  quiet  home  from  whence1  they  have  come, 

is  suflicient  to  upset  their  stomachs,  and  if  they 
are  overloaded  with  feed  beforehand  matters  are 
much  worse.  They  will  look  cleaner,  brighter,  and 


Feeding  Sheep  for  Market.  167 

fresher  when  coming  out  of  the  car  if  fed  only  on 
dry  feed  before  being  loaded,  and  not  even  a  full 
meal  at  that.  When  fed  lightly  they  will  drink 
water  upon  their  arrival  at  the  stock  yards  and 
will  look  just  about  as  good  as  they  did  at  home, 
and  the  shrinkage  will  be  comparatively  small. 

Another  mistake  that  is  very  often  made  is 
crowding  too  many  lambs  into  one  car.  What  is 
the  result?  First,  it  is  hard  on  the  animals,  and 
second,  it  means  another  loss  to  the  shipper.  When 
there  is  not  sufficient  standing  room  in  the  car 
and  the  lambs  are  packed  together  like  sardines, 
thr  larger  and  stronger  lambs  will  free  themselves 
by  jumping  on  top  of  the  others,  but  what  becomes 
of  those  underneath?  They  will  patiently  bear 
the  load  as  long  as  possible.  Their  strength,  how- 
ever, gives  away  before  they  reach  their  destina- 
tion, and  they  sink  to  the  floor  and  suffocate. 
More  than  once  the  writer  has  seen  stock  cars 
opened  at  stock  yards  in  which  from  three  to  seven 
lambs  were  found  dead,  due  to  overcrowding  in 
the  car.  Is  there  any  profit  in  this?  Is  it  not  cruel 
to  subject  poor,  innocent  lambs  to  such  a  terrible 
death?  No  intelligent  feeder  or  shipper  will  allow 
himself  to  be  guilty  of  such  actions. 

WINTER   LAMBS. 

Where  the  chief  object  is  to  raise  lambs  for  mar- 
ket, there  is  in  the  writer's  opinion  no  way  to  make 


Feeding  Sheep  for  Market.  169 

money  faster  than  by  raising  winter,  or  so-called 
"hot-house"  lambs.  The  winter  lamb  is  born  in 
the  fall  in  the  months  of  October  and  November, 
while  lambs  are  usually  born  in  the  spring.  With 
proper  care  these  lambs  can  be  gotten  ready  for 
market  during  the  winter,  from  Christmas  to 
Easter,  at  a  time  when  young,  juicy  lamb  is  a 
scarcity,  and  such  meat  will  bring  high  prices  in 
the  markets  of  the  large  cities. 

In  order  to  raise  winter  lambs  we  must  have 
ewes  that  can  be  bred  from  about  the  middle  of 
March  till  the  first  of  July.  Nearly  all  breeds  of 
sheep  take  the  ram  in  the  fall  and  lamb  in  the 
spring,  and  it  is  rarely  possible  to  make  them  re- 
verse the  order  of  nature. 

Various  methods  have  been  advocated  to  get  any 
breed  of  ewes  to  breed  in  the  spring  and  summer. 
Some  claimed  that  when  ewes  were  taken  in  the 
spring  or  summer  and  kept  in  a  cold  place,  such 
as  an  ice-house,  for  about  a  \veek  they  would 
breed.  Another  method  advocated  was,  after  feed- 
ing the  ewes  in  the  morning,  to  drive  them  all  day 
long  on  a  shady  road.  When  this  had  been  re- 
peated each  day  for  a  week  it  was  claimed  the  ewes 
would  surely  breed.  Still  another  method  was  to 
feed  the  ewes  very  highly,  giving  them  all  they 
would  eat  of  the  richest  grain,  besides  hay  or  other 
feeds.  At  the  end  of  a  week  they  were  to  be  fed 


170  Sheep  Management. 

on  a  very  scant  ration,  such  as  oat  straw,  with  lit- 
tle or  nothing  else.  After  these  two  weeks,  one  of 
high  living  and  the  other  of  almost  starvation,  they 
were  again  fed  an  abundance  of  the  richest  feeds 


PI.ATI;    41).     Two   grade    Dorset    e\\es    \\ith    their    four    \\inter    lambs   at 
the  University  of  Wisconsin. 

and  were  supposed  to  breed  immediately.  All  of 
these  artificial  methods  have  been  tried  by  the 
writer,  but  none  of  them  proved  to  be  at  all  suc- 
cessful, which  emphasizes  the  difficulty  of  work- 
ing against  nature.  However,  the  ewes  of  one  breed 
of  sheep,  the  Dorset  Horn,  naturally  breed  in  the 


Feeding  Sheep  for  Market.  171 

spring  or  early  summer.  This  breed  of  sheep  is 
therefore  best  adapted  to  the  raising  of  winter 
lambs. 

There  is  another  breed  of  sheep,  the  Tunis,  which 
it  is  claimed  will  breed  in  the  spring  like  the  Dor- 
sets.  However,  the  writer  has  had  no  experience 
with  Tunis  sheep  and  is  therefore  unable  to  make 
any  statement  concerning  their  merits  in  this  re- 
spect. 

While  it  has  been  said  that  Dorset  ewes  will 
breed  in  the  spring  and  summer,  it  can  also  be 
said  that  some  of  them  will  breed  twice  in  one 
year  and  thus  drop  two  crops  of  lambs.  At  this 
Station  some  years  ago  a  Dorset  ram  was  crossed 
on  grade  Shropshire  ewes,  and  the  majority  of  the 
ewes  from  this  first  cross  bred  like  pure-bred  Dor- 
sets  in  the  early  spring  and  again  in  the  fall.  In  the 
accompanying  illustration  are  shown  two  of  these 
grade  Dorset  ewes  and  their  lambs.  The  writer 
especially  remembers  one  of  these  grade  Dorset 
ewes  which  for  two  years  in  succession  bred  twice 
a  year,  dropped  two  lambs  each  time,  and  raised 
them  all. 

CARE   OF  DORSET  EWES. 

Dorset  ewes  before  they  are  bred  in  the  spring 
should  be  in  good  flesh  and  should  be  sheared  as 
early  as  possible  in  the  season.  When  the  desired 
breeding  time  approaches  a  good,  strong,  vigorous 


172  Sheep  Management. 

ram  should  be  turned  with  the  flock  and  left  with 
them  all  day  and  night.  While  this  is  perhaps  con- 
trary to  what  has  been  previously  recommended, 
in  this  case  it  will  help  to  get  the  ewes  to  breed 
more  quickly,  as  the  ram  when  left  with  the  flock 
will  tease  the  ewes. 

If  a  Dorset  flock  of  ewes  is  once  established  a 
ram  of  one  of  the  other  mutton  breeds  may  be 
used.  Of  course,  the  ewe  lambs  could  not  then  be 
kept  for  further  winter  lamb  breeding,  as  they 
would  tend  to  lose  Dorset  characteristics.  What- 
ever breed  the  ram  is,  he  should  be  a  vigorous  fel- 
low and  in  thrifty  condition. 

In  the  summer  months  after  the  ewes  have  been 
bred  they  do  not  need  any  special  cure  so  long  as 
they  have  plenty  of  good  pasture.  In  the  fall,  how- 
ever, when  lambing  time  approaches  and  pastures 
usually  get  scant,  the  ewes  should  receive  a  little 
grain  in  order  to  insure  a  heavy  milk  flow.  A 
warm  place  must  be  provided  for  these  ewes  to 
lamb  in,  since  young  lambs  grow  and  thrive  much 
better  in  general  in  a  warm  place  than  they  do  in 
a  cold  one.  When  a  lamb  lies  down,  curls  up  into 
a  ball,  and  shivers  from  the  cold  it  will  not  grow 
well.  On  the  other  hand,  when  it  is  nice  and  warm 
in  their  quarters  and  the  lambs  feel  comfortable, 
get  up  and  stretch  themselves,  play  and  jump,  then 
they  will  thrive  and  do  well. 


Feeding  Sheep  for  Market.  173 

The  writer  has  learned  during  many  years  of  ex- 
perience with  this  breed  of  sheep,  that  compared 
with  other  breeds,  the  Dorsets  are  extremely  heavy 
milkers.  This  may  be  due  to  the  fact  that  a  large 
flow  of  milk  is  necessary  to  feed  the  two  or  three 
lambs  a  Dorset  ewe  will  usually  have.  As  these 
ewes  are  such  good  mothers  they  need  extra  good 
feeding  after  lambing,  especially  if  they  are  to 
have  two  crops  of  lambs  in  a  year. 

FEEDING  THE  WINTER  LAMBS. 

When  the  young  lambs  begin  to  eat,  a  good  grain 
ration  must  be  given  them,  such  as  is  elsewhere 
mentioned  in  this  book.  Good  alfalfa  or  second 
crop  clover  hay  is  also  essential.  Furthermore,  if 
this  line  of  work  is  to  be  carried  on,  roots,  and 
especially  cabbage,  should  be  grown  and  stored 
so  they  may  be  fed  to  the  mothers  to  increase  their 
flow  of  milk,  and  to  the  lambs  to  make  them  grow 
as  fast  as  possible.  The  writer  has  found  that 
these  young  lambs  relish  cabbage,  chopped  up 
finely,  more  than  any  other  feed  he  knows  of.  The 
lambs  should  receive  their  feed  in  a  lamb  creep, 
such  as  has  been  advocated  for  other  lambs.  When 
kept  in  good  warm  quarters,  fed  properly,  and  fur- 
nished by  their  mothers  with  an  abundance  of 
milk,  the  lambs  can  be  made  to  gain  five  or  six 
pounds  per  \veek.  The  writer  has  raised  winter 


174  Sheep  Management. 

lambs  which  when  fifty  days  old  weighed  fifty-five 
pounds,  and  others  which  weighed  sixty-three 
pounds  when  sixty  days  old. 

The  desired  weight  for  this  class  of  lambs  is  from 
forty-five  to  sixty  pounds,  and  they  should  sell  for 
from  fifteen  to  twenty  cents  per  pound,  live  weight. 
Of  course,  the  selling  price  will  depend  on  the  fat- 
ness and  plumpness  of  the  lamb,  and  the  market. 
In  general  such  lambs  will  sell  for  a  higher  price 
in  the  Eastern  markets  than  in  the  markets  of  the 
Middle-West.  Quite  a  number  of  lambs  raised  at 
this  Station  have  been  sold  on  the  Chicago  market 
for  from  *10.0()  to  $13.00  per  head  at  the  age  of 
sixty  days  or  under.  As  Dorset  ewes  generally 
have  twins,  or  even  triplets,  it  can  be  seen  that 
there  is  a  great  profit  in  this  line  of  sheep  hus- 
bandry.  In  the  cases  where  ewes  breed  twice  a 
year  the  profit  is  correspondingly  larger.  The 
writer  wishes  to  emphasize  the  fact  that  where 
ewes  raise  two  crops  of  lambs  each  year  they  must 
be  well  fed  at  all  times,  in  order  to  uphold  their 
vitality  under  the  severe  strain.  Such  ewes  have 
been  known  to  take  the  rain  again  when  their  suck- 
ling lambs  were  only  three  weeks  old. 

It  has  been  found  to  be  more  profitable  to  dress 
the  lambs  before  sending  them  to  market  than  to 
ship  them  alive,  for  such  young  chaps  shrink  heav- 
ily in  transit.  Of  course,  when  dressed  at  home. 


Feeding  Sheep  for  Market.  175 

some  such  market  as  a  hotel,  a  restaurant,  or  a 
meat  market  must  be  secured  in  advance  and 
the  dressed  lambs  shipped  direct  to  that  place. 
The  lambs  may  either  be  fully  dressed  or  rough 
dressed,  that  is,  with  the  skin  on  the  carcass,  ac- 
cording to  the  requirements  of  the  consumer. 


j::   >. 

"£  "7. 
2   •— 

-,   > 


CHAPTER  IX. 

FITTING  SHEEP  FOR  THE  SHOW  RING. 

While  fitting  and  showing  is  pursued  by  com- 
paratively few  of  the  thousands  of  flockmasters,  it 
may  be  helpful  to  outline  briefly  the  principal  de- 
tails of  the  business  for  the  benefit  of  the  man  who 
is  thinking  of  taking  up  show  fitting  work.  A  num- 
ber of  shepherds  have  become  famous  and  have 
gained  a  national  reputation  for  themselves  and 
their  employers  in  the  show  ring.  Many  of  these 
experts  are  well  along  in  years  now,  and  others 
must  be  trained  in  this  work  to  take  the  place  of 
the  older  men  who  will  retire.  It  is  to  assist  those 
who  are  beginners  in  fitting  show  sheep  that  the 
writer  takes  up  the  subject.  Rut  fitting  show  sheep 
can  scarcely  be  learned  from  books  to  the  point 
of  becoming  an  expert,  because  no  writer  is  able 
to  put  down  all  the  small  details  which  he  follows 
and  which  have  to  be  observed  to  be  successful  in 
the  show  ring.  Therefore,  after  reading  all  one 
can  find  about  fitting  show  sheep,  the  beginner 
should  not  expect  to  be  as  successful  at  the  start 
as  the  man  with  many  years  of  experience. 

Some  of  the  main  obstacles  for  beginners  may 
be  avoided  by  learning  from  the  experience  of 

12  (177) 


178  Sheep  Management. 

older  show  fitters.  Not  every  one  who  started  in 
this  work  can  today  look  back  with  pride  at  his 
record.  Many  tried  to  fit  and  show  once  or  twice, 
but  today  they  are  no  longer  in  the  race  for  they 
dropped  out  simply  because  they  were  not  success- 
ful at  the  start.  It  seems  as  if  only  a  small  num- 
ber of  men  naturally  possess  the  necessary  liking 
for  sheep,  the  personal  qualifications,  and  the  un- 
bounded persistency  and  self-sacrifice  necessary 
to  make  a  success  of  this  work.  For  some  men  it 
is  too  tiresome  a  job,  others  have  not  enough  pa- 
tience to  feed  so  carefully  as  is  required  to  obtain 
the  best  results.  Others  find  it  too  troublesome  to 
be  down  on  their  knees  a  good  deal  of  their  time 
molding  out  a  sheep  with  the  shears  to  a  perfect 
form. 

"This  work  of  fitting  prize  winners  may  be 
classed  among  the'  fine  arts/'  said  Prof.  \V.  A. 
Henry  at  one  time.  This  is  indeed  very  true,  and 
those  who  have  practiced  this  line  of  work  for 
years  fully  agree  with  this  statement.  \\'i  while 
there  are  many  happy  hours  in  the  showman's  life 
there  are  apt  to  be  a  great  many  more  that  are 
dark  and  gloomy.  The  sweet  as  well  as  the  bitter 
medicine  must  be  swallowed.  No  one  can  show 
more  plainly  whether  he  really  is  a  man  or  not 
than  when  he  meets  with  defeat  in  the  show  ring. 
Grumbling  and  disorderly  conduct  towards  the 


Fitting  Sheep  for  the  Show  Ring. 


179 


judge  or  fellow  exhibitors  have  never  been  of  any 
benefit  to  the  showman.  If  the  exhibitor  takes  his 
lessons  in  the  proper  spirit  he  can  gain  knowledge 
faster  in  the  show  ring  than  anywhere  else.  Some 


.£ 


PLATK  51.     Champion  grade  Shropshire  yearling  wether  at  the  Inter- 
national,  1903,   shown  by  the   University   of  Wisconsin. 

exhibitors,  however,  always  look  at  things  in  the 
wrong  light  and  therefore  do  not  learn  the  valuable 
lessons  which  may  be  learned  in  the  show  ring. 
If  beginners  in  fitting  and  showing  sheep  are  ear- 
nest students  in  their  undertaking,  are  reasonable, 


180  Sheep  Management. 

and  are  able  to  see  things  in  the  right  light  they 
can  in  time  become  just  as  successful  as  the  older 
men  who  are  securing  the  prizes  at  the  present 
time. 

It  is  not  the  writer's  intention  to  discourage  any- 
one from  entering  the  field,  by  pointing  out  some 
of  the  dark  clouds.  On  the  contrary  he  wishes  to 
urge  all  those  who  possess  good  judgment,  who 
like  the  work,  who  are  not  afraid  to  put  in  extra 
hours,  who  have  energy  to  do  better  work  than 
others  have  done,  and  who  are  honest  and  faithful, 
to  come  forward  and  demonstrate  their  ability  ns 
loyal  showmen.  The  beginner  will  not  find  the 
shepherds  a  mournful  lot  of  fellows,  but  on  the 
contrary,  if  he  wishes  to  have  a  good  time  at  shows 
and  fairs,  he  should  seek  the  company  of  the  other 
shepherds  after  their  working  hours  are  over  and 
listen  to  their  stories  and  jokes.  He  will  find  them, 
as  a  rule,  the  happiest  lot  of  fellows  on  the  fair 
grounds. 

CLASSES  OF  SHOW  SIIKKP. 

When  we  speak  of  fitting  sheep  for  shows  we 
have  in  mind  two  distinct  classes,  namely  the 
breeding  sheep  that  are  to  be  shown  in  the  breed- 
ing classes,  and  the  fat  sheep  that  are  to  be  shown 
in  the  fat  classes.  There  is  quite  a  difference  in  the 
fitting  and  preparation  of  these  two  separate 


Fitting  Sheep  for  the  Show  Ring.  181 

classes  of  sheep.  The  first  class  can  be  fitted  in  a 
much  shorter  time  than  the  fat  class,  and  the  feeds 
for  them  are  of  a  little  different  nature  from  those 
for  the  fat  class. 

SELECTION    FOR    THE    BREEDING    CLASS. 

One  of  the  chief  factors  in  fitting  sheep  for  breed- 
ing classes  in  the  show  ring  is  to  be  familiar  with 
the  up-to-date  type  and  conformation  of  the  breed 
or  breeds  to  be  fitted.  No  sheep,  no  matter  how 
well  it  may  be  fitted,  will  be  a  winner  if  it  does  not 
possess  the  correct  type,  combined  with  the  proper 
conformation  and  color.  For  instance  a  Shrop- 
shire ram  that  has  stubs  of  horns  should  not  win 
a  prize,  no  matter  how  good  an  individual  he  may 
be  in  all  other  respects,  for  this  is  contrary  to  the 
standard  of  pure-bred  Shropshires.  Again  a  ram 
with  only  one  testicle  should  not  be  fitted,  for  he 
will  not  win  a  prize  if  the  judge  is  capable  of  dis- 
covering the  lack.  A  sheep  of  any  breed  that  is 
either  undersized  or  too  large  for  its  particular 
breed  also  does  not  receive  much  consideration  in 
the  show  ring.  Neither  does  a  sheep  that  has  not 
the  right  color,  or  has  a  poor  conformation,  or  has 
crooked  legs,  or  is  in  too  thin  a  condition,  or  on 
the  contrary  is  too  fat,  get  any  recognition  by  the 
judge.  Only  the  best  ones  in  the  flock  should  be 
selected.  These  should  be  true  to  type,  of  the 


182  Sheep  Management. 

right  size  and  conformation,  with  the  desirable 
kind  of  fleece  and  skin,  with  the  four  legs  prop- 
erly set  under  them,  and  with  all  the  style  and 
carriage  possible.  It  never  pays  to  fit  sheep  for 
the  show  ring  that  are  not  built  right,  or  as  is  often 
said,  born  right,  as  the  flesh  and  fitting  alone  will 
not  bring  the  sheep  to  the  front  in  the  ring  if  they 
are  lacking  in  these  other  respects.  The  competi- 
tion is  getting  stronger  year  by  year,  and  as  a  re- 
sult greater  care  must  be  exercised  each  year  in 
the  selection  and  fitting  of  sheep  for  the  sho\\ 
ring. 

siiKAKiNTi  sm:i:i»  i  OH  mi:  iiHi:i:i>iN(i  CLASSKS. 

It  is  common  among  exhibitors  in  the  breeding 
classes  to  shear  their  sheep  quite  early  in  the 
spring,  for  in  the  show  ring  a  long  fleece  is  desir- 
able on  breeding  sheep.  For  this  reason,  this  class 
of  sheep  may  be  shorn  as  early  as  April  1,  and  a 
good  length,  growth,  and  staple  of  wool  can  then 
be  had  on  the  sheep  at  fair  time.  Some  men  shear 
even  earlier  than  April  1,  but  the  writer  is  of  the 
opinion  that  sheep  that  are  shorn  too  early  have 
not  as  much  brightness  and  lustre  in  their  fleeces 
as  those  that  are  shorn  at  about  the  time  stated. 
Moreover,  in  the  hot  summer  weather  sheep  with 
too  long  fleeces  do  not  do  nearly  as  well  as  those 
that  have  shorter  fleeces. 


Fitting  Sheep  for  the  Show  Ring.  183 

The  old  fashion  of  "stubble"  shearing,  which 
means  taking  only  part  of  the  wool  off  the  sheep, 
should  not  be  reverted  to  at  all,  because  all  expe- 
rienced shepherds  have  found  this  to  be  a  bad 
practice.  Do  not  shear  too  early  if  a  nice,  thrifty- 
looking  fleece  is  expected  on  a  show  sheep.  The 
fine  wool  breeders  are  in  the  habit  of  shearing 
their  Merinos  in  late  fall  and  early  winter.  Al- 
though this  breed  of  sheep  does  not  show  the  effect 
of  too  early  shearing  quite  as  much  as  the  middle 
and  long  wools  do,  nevertheless  we  occasionally 
meet  some  flocks  of  Merinos  in  the  show  ring 
whose  fleeces  are  not  in  the  proper  "bloom,"  due 
to  too  early  shearing. 

PROPER  TIME  TO   START   FITTING. 

The  time  to  start  fitting  sheep  intended  for 
breeding  classes  depends  upon  the  time  they  are 
to  be  shown.  Two  months  to  ten  weeks  brings 
sheep  into  good  shape  for  these  classes.  However, 
the  fitter  must  use  his  own  judgment  to  know 
when  they  are  in  best  condition  to  suit  the  judge. 
In  other  words,  he  must  be  a  good  judge  of  sheep 
himself.  In  the  case  of  older  sheep  this  may  easily 
be  decided  by  careful  examination  as  to  the  condi- 
tion the  sheep  are  in.  Lambs  need  fitting  from  the 
time  of  their  birth. 


184  Sheep  Management. 

FEED  FOR  SHOW  LAMBS. 

In  order  to  keep  lambs  growing  constantly  they 
must  always  be  given  an  abundance  of  feed.  As 
soon  as  they  are  able  to  eat  grain,  they  should  re- 
ceive it.  They  can  also  be  given  roots,  good  clover 
hay,  and  some  cabbage  or  turnips.  Rape  should 
be  sown  early  to  feed  to  them  at  the  time  when 
pastures  are  getting  short  in  the  middle  of  sum- 
mer. As  long  as  the  weather  is  cool  the  lambs  do 
well  on  a  grain  ration  consisting  of  bran,  oats,  a 
little  cornmeal,  and  some  oilmeal.  However,  when 
the  weather  begins  to  get  hot  too  much  corn  must 
not  be  fed,  for  corn  produces  heat  and  makes 
lambs  founder  very  easily.  In  the  hot  weather 
their  ration  should  consist  mostly  of  green  feed. 
Some  cracked  field  peas  are  very  beneficial  for 
fitting  show  sheep  and  lambs,  as  they  produce  a 
firm  and  solid  flesh.  In  all  cases  lambs  are  much 
harder  to  fit  than  older  sheep,  as  they  are  more 
tender  and  cannot  withstand  heavy  feeding  like 
older  ones. 

FEED  FOR  OLDER  SHEEP. 

The  feed  for  older  sheep  is  practically  the  same 
as  for  lambs,  with  the  one  exception  that  they  can 
be  fed  more  grain  if  it  should  be  needed,  for  there 
is  less  danger  of  foundering  them.  In  the  hot 
weather  it  is  a  good  plan  to  feed  show  sheep  in  a 


Fitting  Sheep  for  the  Show  Ring.  185 

cool,  airy  barn  during  the  day  time  and  turn  them 
out  on  good  pasture  during  the  night.  This  will 
give  them  the  necessary  exercise,  which  is  abso- 
lutely indispensable  in  keeping  them  firm  and  in 
producing  the  best  handling  qualities.  Overfeed- 
ing and  crowding  too  rapidly  should  in  all  cases 
be  avoided.  Some  men  are  of  the  opinion  that  the 
more  they  feed  the  sheep,  the  better  the  sheep 
will  do,  but  this  is  quite  often  a  mistake.  Feeding 
has  its  limit,  and  if  fitted  so  highly  that  they  be- 
come soft,  or  "overdone,"  sheep  will  not  win  in  the 
ring. 

It  is  a  pity  to  see  good  rams  and  ewes  that  are 
fed  so  far  beyond  the  limit  that  they  are  simply 
ruined  and  are  worthless  for  breeding  purposes. 
Such  sheep  could  not  even  win  in  the  fat  classes, 
as  butchers  object  to  a  lot  of  surplus  fat  on  sheep 
on  the  block.  They  should  be  in  nice  flesh,  but  not 
overfat.  The  writer  himself  has  been  forced  more 
than  once  to  turn  down  sheep  in  the  ring  for  this 
very  reason.  We  often  see  sheep  that  are  so  "blub- 
bery"  and  overdone  that  they  are  unable  to  stand 
up  long  enough  in  the  ring  for  the  judge  to  pass 
his  decision  upon  the  class  in  which  they  are 
shown.  Much  improvement  must  be  made  in  this 
respect,  and  showmen  must  familiarize  themselves 
better  with  what  is  called  "just  in  bloom."  This 
condition  of  bloom  is  sought  by  all  good  judges 


186  Sheep  Management. 

and  should  count  more  for  the  winning  animals 
than  it  has  in  the  past. 

TRIMMING    SHOW    SHEEP. 

Some  writers  and  farmers  have  recently  taken 
up  arms  against  sheep  trimming.  It  remains  an 
open  question  why  these  men  have  taken  such  a 
step.  Has  not  the  shepherd  the  same  right  to  fix 
up  his  stock  to  make  it  look  best  in  the  show  ring 
as  the  cattleman,  the  horseman,  and  the  exhibitor 
of  hogs?  Trimming  sheep  was  first  put  into  prac- 
tice in  England.  American  importers  saw  the 
work  done  in  that  country  and  soon  followed  the 
example.  Nowadays  many  of  the  shepherds  in 
this  country  are  men  horn  in  England  where  they 
have  learned  this  work  from  their  fathers  and  later 
have  come  to  America  and  practice  it  here. 

There  is  nothing  wrong  in  it.  It  seems  as  if  only 
those  men  who  cannot  trim  their  sheep  are  the 
ones  who  protest  against  this  practice.  If  some 
one  should  undertake  to  stop  sheep  trimming  in 
England  he  would  be  ridiculed,  since  the  English, 
as  a  rule,  excel  in  this  kind  of  work  and  take  great 
pride  in  bringing  a  sheep  before  the  judge  that  is 
not  only  well  fed,  but  also  carries  its  best  fitted 
suit  of  clothes  on  its  body.  It  does  not  make  much 
difference  to  a  good  judge  how  well  a  sheep  may 
be  trimmed,  as  he  understands  the  proper  hand- 


Fitting  Sheep  for  the  Show  Ring.  187 

ling  of  them  to  find  all  deficiencies,  but  it  would 
of  course  mislead  a  less  experienced  man  and  he 
ought  not  to  undertake  to  judge  sheep  at  fairs  at 
all.  Trimming  sheep  is  done  simply  to  have  them 
look  better  when  on  exhibition,  just  as  men  and 
women  wear  their  best  clothes  when  going  to  a 
party. 

Trimming  sheep  should  begin  just  as  soon  as  the 
wool  has  grown  to  such  a  length  that  it  may  be 
worked  upon  with  the  hand  shears.  The  old  hand 
shears,  well  sharpened  and  handled  by  a  man  who 
understands  his  work,  will  do  the  task  satisfac- 
torily. Two  or  three  trimmings  will  put  the  sheep 
in  fine  shape.  For  this  purpose,  we  need  a  pail 
of  water,  a  coarse  stubble  brush  to  roughen  up  the 
wool,  and  a  finer  brush  with  which  the  wool  is 
wet  and  brought  to  the  surface.  A  wet  woolen 
rag  is  often  useful  in  sponging  off  the  wool  to  make 
it  fluffy  and  to  free  it  from  dirt  which  dulls  the 
shears.  A  halter  is  also  required  with  which  to 
tie  the  sheep  to  a  post  or  fence.  Sheep  will  nat- 
urally stand  more  quietly  than  lambs.  In  trim- 
ming the  animal  begin  on  the  top  of  its  shoulder, 
working  backward  to  the  hips  and  tail.  Try  to  get 
the  back  straight.  Now  the  rear  end  must  be 
trimmed  to  correspond  with  the  back,  and  next  the 
left  side  from  the  shoulder  back  to  the  thigh.  The 
right  side  comes  then,  starting  from  the  thigh  for- 


PLATE  52.  Pure-bred  Cheviot  yearling  wether 
at  the  University  of  Wisconsin;  (a)  in  his 
rough  coat;  (b)  after  his  first  trimming;  (c) 
as  he  won  first  prize  and  championship  at  the 
International,  1910. 


Fitting  Sheep  for  the  Show  Ring.  189 

ward.  If  the  operator  can  use  the  shears  with  his 
left  hand  he  can  start  on  the  shoulder  and  work 
backward,  the  same  as  on  the  left  side.  The  breast 
is  trimmed  next  to  make  the  correct  lines  on  that 
part.  Now  the  left  side  of  the  neck  is  trimmed 
and  then  the  right  side,  and  finally  the  neck  and 
head  are  finished.  If  a  sheep  does  not  have  a 
straight  underline  some  wool  may  be  taken  off 
from  the  belly. 

The  first  set  of  illustrations  shows  a  Cheviot  year- 
ling wether,  first,  in  his  natural  rough  fleece,  sec- 
ond, after  the  first  trimming,  and  third,  when  he 
won  first  prize  and  championship  at  the  Interna- 
tional in  1910.  In  the  second  set  are  given  three 
similar  pictures  of  an  Oxford  yearling  wether 
which  likewise  won  first  prize  arid  championship 
at  the  International  in  1910. 

To  do  this  work  well  requires  considerable  time 
and  a  great  deal  of  patience.  A  person  with  a 
sharp  eye  and  a  good  model  in  his  mind,  will  make 
the  best  trimmer.  A  systematic  way  as  outlined 
in  the  foregoing  should  be  followed  in  order  to 
perform  the  work  in  the  best  manner.  Some  peo- 
ple will  clip  off  a  little  wool  at  one  place  and  then 
jump  to  another  place,  so  that  they  can  never  see 
clearly  how  much  of  the  work  is  done  and  what 
remains  to  be  done. 


Pi. ATI;  .").•{.  Pure-hred  Oxford  yearling  \\ether, 
In  rd  by  H.  J.  Stone,  Illinois,  and  fitted  and  sho\\n 
l>y  the  I'niversity  of  Wisconsin;  (at  in  his  rough 
coat;  (1>)  after  his  first  trimming;  (c)  as  he  won 
(li-st  pri/c  and  c'hampionship  at  the  International, 
1910. 


Fitting  Sheep  {or  the  Show  Ring.  191 

In  the  case  of  Shropshires  the  covering  of  wool 
on  their  faces  and  legs  counts  for  a  great  deal  in 
the  show  ring.  As  this  wool  often  becomes  clotted 
together,  in  fitting  the  animals  it  may  be  necessary 
to  wash  it  well  with  warm  water,  using  a  woolen 
rag.  Often  some  sweet  oil  is  used  to  soften  the 
clotted  wool  up  thoroughly  so  that  it  may  be 
combed  out  with  an  iron  comb.  When  the  wool  is 
then  dry  it  will  be  fluffy  and  stand  out  to  the  best 
advantage. 

If  a  show  sheep  should  scour  and  the  wool  at 
its  rear  become  filthy,  this  filthy  wool  should  not 
be  clipped  off'  with  the  shears  but  must  be  washed 
out  by  means  of  a  rag,  warm  water,  and  soap. 
When  these  locks  are  clipped  oil'  with  the  shears 
it  gives  the  sheep  a  hollow  appearance  at  its  twist, 
while  its  twist  should  look  full  and  plump. 

A  HELP  IN  SHEEP  TRIMMING. 

Trimming  sheep  in  hot  weather  often  becomes 
a  difficult  task  on  account  of  the  many  flies  which 
annoy  the  sheep  by  biting  the  parts  where  no  wool 
is  growing,  such  as  the  face,  ears,  and  legs.  The 
sheep  in  trying  to  fight  flies  shakes  its  head  and 
stamps  its  feet  constantly,  thereby  checking  the 
speed  of  the  trimmer,  as  well  as  leading  him  to 
make  false  clips  or  to  cut  too  deeply  into  the  fleece 
at  some  places.  This  trouble  can  easily  be  reme- 


192  Sheep  Management. 

died  by  using  a  strong  solution  of  any  of  the  coal 
tar  dips,  which  can  be  applied  to  the  parts  of  the 
sheep  which  are  free  from  wool,  as  the  ears,  face, 
and  legs,  with  a  tin  spray  pump  or  by  means  of  a 
brush.  This  method  relieves  the  sheep  of  the  an- 
noyance from  flies  and  thus  furthers  the  speed  of 
the  trimmer.  After  being  trimmed  the  sheep 
should  not  be  allowed  to  rub  itself  on  sharp  cor- 
ners, posts,  nails,  or  other  rough  objects. 

COLORING  SHEEP. 

For  various  reasons  show  sheep  are  colored  red, 
yellow,  or  sometimes  brown.  The  custom  of  color- 
ing, like  trimming,  has  been  introduced  into  Amer- 
ica from  England.  These  various  colors  on  sheep 
have  been  the  cause  of  quite  n  sensation  at  fairs, 
and  have  led  men  and  women  to  ask  whether 
breeds  of  sheep  naturally  grow  red,  yellow,  and 
brown  wool.  The  writer  is  decidedly  not  in  favor 
of  the  practice.  He  has  never  shown  a  sheep  that 
was  colored  and  never  will,  because  he  believes 
that  a  sheep  with  its  natural  color  of  wool  nicely 
trimmed  looks  far  better  than  an  animal  with  a 
colored  fleece. 

BLANKETING. 

After  the  sheep  have  gone  through  the  trimming 
process  and  their  fleeces  look  as  smooth  as  a 
planed  board,  it  is  well  to  cover  them  with  blan- 


Fitting  Sheep  for  the  Show  Ring.  193 

kets  before  starting  out  to  the  fairs.  This  will  keep 
the  fleeces  in  good  shape,  will  prevent  them  from 
getting  roughened  up  in  transit,  and  will  further- 
more to  a  certain  extent  stop  the  fingering  and 
spoiling  of  the  appearances  of  the  fleeces  by  peo- 
ple who  thoughtlessly  handle  the  sheep.  Blan- 
kets, if  not  adjusted  to  fit  the  sheep  smoothly, 
often  disfigure  it  by  cutting  into  the  wool  at  one 
place  or  another,  especially  around  the  neck  of 
the  sheep. 

TRAINING  SHEEP  FOR  THE  SHOW. 

While  trimming  is  being  done  it  is  a  good  idea 
to  have  the  sheep  practice  standing  right  or  posing 
for  the  judge  when  in  the  ring.  Many  sheep  have 
been  found  to  act  very  wild  and  to  stand  in  queer 
positions  in  the  ring  when  the  judge  is  to  pass  on 
them.  On  account  of  their  unwieldy  conduct  and 
unnatural  standing  position  some  prizes  have  been 
lost  to  the  owner.  If  properly  handled  and  given 
frequent  lessons  on  correct  standing  they  soon 
learn  what  is  expected  of  them,  and  they  will  not 
then  disappoint  their  master  in  the  ring  at  a  mo- 
ment when  all  little  details  may  bring  success  or 
take  away  prize  money  from  him.  Sheep  may  be 
trained  to  follow  their  master  like  a  dog.  Of 
course,  the  master  must  be  the  one  to  accomplish 
these  results.  As  said  before,  the  rough,  coarse, 

13 


194  Sheep  Management. 

and  brutal  fellow  will  never  get  a  sheep  to  do  any- 
thing for  him,  as  it  remembers  only  too  well  the 
kind  of  treatment  it  has  received. 

SHELTER   FOR   SHOW   SHEEP. 

When  fitting  has  begun  great  care  must  be  taken 
that  the  show  sheep  do  not  get  wet.  If  a  clean 
fleece  is  desired,  the  sheep  should  be  washed  thor- 
oughly at  the  time  when  fitting  begins.  From  then 
on  by  no  means  should  they  be  allowed  to  become 
wet.  During  the  fitting  period  the  yolk  distributes 
itself  nicely  throughout  the  fleece,  and  if  the  sheep 
is  exposed  to  a  heavy  rain  the  yolk  will  be  washed 
out,  which  destroys  the  lustre  and  bright,  healthy 
appearance.  When  the  fleece  has  once  been 
spoiled  somewhat,  especially  when  it  has  already 
been  trimmed  once  or  twice,  it  can  never  be  made 
rigid  again.  While  it  has  been  stated  that  sheep 
should  be  turned  out  on  pasture  nights  to  get  lots 
of  exercise,  it  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  we  do 
not  mean  on  nights  when  rain  is  expected  or  pre- 
dicted. The  writer  recalls  many  a  night  when  lie 
turned  out  his  show  sheep,  not  expecting  that  it 
would  rain  before  the  next  morning.  A  heavy 
thunder  shower  would  come  up  after  midnight 
and  wake  him  out  of  his  sleep.  As  quickly  as  pos- 
sible he  would  then  run  to  the  place  where  the 
sheep  were  kept  and  get  them  under  roof  before 


Fitting  Sheep  for  the  Show  Ring.  195 

they  got  wet,  although  he  himself  was  perhaps  wet 
to  the  skin  on  returning  home.  This,  however, 
made  no  difference  to  him  for  he  rejoiced  if  he 
succeeded  in  keeping  his  show  sheep  dry.  This, 
fellow  sheepmen,  is  one  of  the  numerous  self- 
sacrifices  mentioned  before. 

TRIMMING  THE  FEET  OF  SHOW  SHEEP. 

It  has  been  advised  in  this  work  that  sheep 
should  have  their  feet  trimmed  and  looked  after 
at  least  twice  a  year,  in  spring  and  fall,  but  sheep 
being  fitted  for  shows  need  to  have  their  feet 
trimmed  much  more  frequently.  These  sheep  are 
more  or  less  confined  and  do  not  wear  down  their 
hoofs  as  much  as  sheep  that  are  constantly  out 
of  doors  in  the  summer  months.  Furthermore, 
from  observation  it  seems  that  when  a  sheep  is 
IV d  well  and  is  putting  on  flesh  its  hoofs  grow  in 
proportion  to  the  amount  of  flesh  put  on  its  body. 
Therefore,  to  keep  them  straight  on  their  feet  the 
wise  shepherd  examines  them  once  every  month 
and  removes  all  surplus  hoof. 

REDUCING  SHOW  SHEEP  AFTER  FAIRS. 

When  sheep  have  been  once  highly  fitted  and 
shown  they  cannot  be  kept  in  that  condition,  but 
have  to  be  reduced  in  flesh.  For  instance,  a  win- 
ning yearling  will  not  be  a  winner  the  following 


196  Sheep  Management. 

year  as  a  two-year-old,  unless  some  of  the  old  flesh 
has  been  taken  off  and  new  flesh  substituted  in  its 
place.  The  old  flesh  left  on  the  sheep  becomes 
soft  and  stale,  and  the  skin  gets  pale  and  will  not 
have  the  desired  "bloom." 

This  work  of  reducing  flesh  has  to  be  done  just 
as  carefully  as  putting  on  flesh.  The  writer  knows 
of  a  first  prize  winning  sheep  that  was  sold  to  a 
man  who  did  not  know  how  to  reduce  it.  In  spite 
of  the  fact  that  he  was  warned  to  be  careful  and 
not  let  it  down  in  condition  too  fast,  he  killed  the 
sheep  in  less  than  one  month  by  reducing  the  flesh 
too  quickly  through  cutting  down  the  feed.  The 
reduction  in  feed,  especially  grain,  must  be  made 
very  gradually,  so  that  the  sheep  do  not  experi- 
ence a  great  drop  in  the  amount  of  feed  at  any 
time.  Hemember  that  lots  of  exercise  is  necessary 
to  bring  show  sheep  back  into  natural  condition, 
just  as  much  as  it  was  in  fitting  them  for  the  ring. 
Indeed,  exercise  is  one  of  the  most  important  fac- 
tors in  letting  them  down  in  condition. 


CHAPTER  X. 

FITTING  WETHERS  FOR  SHOWS. 

The  work  of  so  fitting  and  preparing  wethers 
for  fat  stock  shows  that  they  will  win  on  the  hoof 
as  well  as  on  the  block  may  be  considerd  the  most 
difficult  task  of  all  show  fitting.  In  the  breeding 
classes  the  sheep  are  only  passed  upon  when  alive, 
while  in  the  fat  classes  they  are  first  judged  alive 
and  are  then  sent  to  the  slaughter  house  where  the 
expert  butcher  and  cutter  determines  the  final 
merit  of  the  carcasses.  The  material  contained  in 
this  book  is  not  based  upon  reading  agricultural 
papers  and  it  is  not  taken  from  books  or  the  ex- 
perience of  others,  but  is  based  upon  the  practical 
experience  and  knowledge  gained  by  the  author 
in  fitting  many  wethers  which  have  won  first  prizes, 
championships  and  grand  championships  on  the 
hoof,  as  well  as  on  the  block. 

A  great  many  of  the  show  sheep  in  the  breeding 
classes  at  state  fairs  and  other  large  show's  are  im- 
ported from  Engalnd,  where  they  have  received 
part  or  all  of  their  fitting  from  the  English  shep- 
herds before  coming  to  this  country.  It  is  an  easy 
matter  for  the  Americans  to  keep  them  in  the  trim 
to  which  the  English  have  brought  them.  For- 
ds?) 


PLATE  54.     Champion  grade   Shropshire   yearling   \vcther  at   the  Inter- 
national, 1900,    shown  by  the  University  of  Wisconsin. 


Fitting  Wethers  for  Shows.  199 

merly,  only  once  in  a  while  were  a  few  fat  wethers 
imported  from  England,  and  it  was  therefore  left 
to  the  shepherds  of  this  country  to  fit  and  prepare 
the  candidates  in  this  class  of  sheep  for  our  fat 
stock  shows.  During  recent  years,  however,  the 
American  fitter  has  been  compelled  to  stand  face 
to  face  in  the  fat  stock  show  ring  with  his  English 
and  Canadian  brothers,  who  have  brought  their 
home-fitted  wethers  directly  from  their  native 
country  to  the  International  Live  Stock  Show  and 
other  fat  stock  shows.  It  can  easily  be  understood 
what^a  struggle  it  must  be  to  compete  with  an  En- 
glish fitter,  considering  the  climatic  conditions  and 
other  advantages  which  the  English  have  over  the 
Americans.  Therefore,  the  American  who  suc- 
ceeds in  defeating  the  imported  English  stock  has 
won  a  great  victory. 

Type,  fleece,  and  color  of  skin  are  not  as  essen- 
tial in  the  show  ring  for  fat  wethers  as  for  sheep 
of  the  breeding  classes,  because  there  are  other 
factors  of  still  greater  importance  for  sheep  to 
go  on  the  block.  In  the  fat  wether  on  the  hoof  his 
form  and  the  amount  and  kind  of  flesh  he  carries 
are  the  most  important  points.  When  on  the  block 
the  most  essential  points  of  the  carcass  are  the  per- 
centage of  edible  meat,  and  the  quality,  color,  and 
marbling  of  the  meat.  There  are  three  distinct 
classes  of  wethers.  The  first  class  is  not  far 


200  Sheep  Management. 

enough  advanced  in  condition  and  flesh,  the  sec- 
ond is  just  right,  and  the  third  is  too  far  advanced. 
The  second  or  middle  class  is  of  course  the  one 
which  is  successful. 

Thorough  knowledge  and  great  judgment  in  feed- 
ing are  required  to  get  the  animal  in  just  the  proper 
condition.  In  late  years  judges  of  fat  wethers  have 
been  far  more  accurate  in  making  their  decisions 
than  they  were  in  former  years.  They  know  that 
the  expert  carcass  judge  next  passes  his  judgment 
upon  the  animals  and  brings  to  light  either  the 
correctness  or  incorrectness  of  the  decision  when 
on  foot.  To  fit  a  wether  with  the  highest  quality 
of  meat,  so  that  every  part  of  his  body  is  covered 
smoothly  with  the  firmest  kind  of  flesh,  and  so 
that  his  carcass  does  not  show  any  surplus  fat,  or 
tallow,  and  yet  possesses  a  mellow  touch,  is  by  no 
means  a  smnll  task. 

SI:I.I:<:TION  or  WI:THI:HS. 

As  in  the  ease  of  breeding  sheep,  only  well-bal- 
anced animals  should  be  selected  to  fit  for  the  fat 
stock  ring.  Wethers  that  have  long  legs,  crooked 
feet,  or  broken-down  pasterns  are  of  no  use.  The 
right  kind  of  wether  should  have  an  even,  straight, 
smooth,  broad  back  and  should  be  free  from 
coarseness  in  any  part.  While  we  like  to  see  as 
much  type  as  possible,  still  it  is  far  less  important 


Fitting  Wethers  for  Shows. 


201 


in  fat  wethers  than  in  breeding  animals.  In  pick- 
ing out  a  wether  to  fit  for  the  fat  class  the  most  im- 
portance should  be  placed  on  his  conformation, 


PLATE  55.  Pure-bred  Hampshire  yearling  wether  winning  third 
prize  in  open  class  and  championship  in  American  class  at  the  Inter- 
national, 1910,  shown  by  the  University  of  Wisconsin. 

firm  handling  qualities,  and  density  of  fleece.  In 
the  writer's  experience  no  wether  which  has  had  a 
long,  loose,  open  fleece,  for  his  particular  breed, 


202  Sheep  Management. 

has  ever  proved  to  be  a  prize  winner  when  fat- 
tened. His  favorites  have  always  been  those  with 
comparatively  short  and  very  dense  fleeces.  If  a 
wether  handles  soft  at  the  start  he  will  be  much 
worse  at  the  end  of  the  fitting  period,  and  no  soft, 
blubhery  wether  can  win  if  a  capable  judge  is 
making  the  awards. 

SIIi:.\HIN(i    WETHERS. 

Wethers  for  show  can  be  sheared  much  later  in 
the  season  than  breeding  animals,  since  the  length 
of  the  wool  does  not  count  for  much  on  wethers 
in  the  show  ring.  Wethers  which  have  been 
sheared  too  early  sutler  a  great  deal  on  hot  sum 
mer  days  and  do  not  progress  nearly  so  well  us 
when  sheared  later  on,  although  judgment  must  be 
used  not  to  go  to  an  extreme  and  let  them  suffer 
from  heat  with  their  old,  long  coats  on.  A  short 
fleece  tends  to  make  them  more  firm  and  solid, 
while  a  long  fleece  makes  them  seem  soft.  Weth- 
ers that  are  brought  into  the  show  ring  with  com- 
paratively short  fleeces  on  them  generally  handle 
well,  and  these  good  handlers  are  selected  as  win- 
ners. 

A(ii;  TO  SHOW  WET  I  IE  US. 

In  earlier  years  fat  wethers,  at  least  at  some 
shows,  consisted  of  three  classes,  two-year-olds, 
yearlings,  and  lambs.  Nowadays  the  two-year-old 


Fitting  Wethers  for  Shows.  203 

class  is  not  listed,  and  the  writer  believes  that  in 
time  the  yearling  class  will  also  drop  out  of  ex- 
istence. The  nice  juicy  lamb  chop  is  in  just  as 
great  demand  at  the  present  time  as  baby  beef. 
The  American  people  desire  the  youngest  and 
juiciest  kind  of  meat  for  consumption,  and  they 
find  the  lamb  better  than  the  yearling.  It  may  be 
said  right  here  that  only  an  extra  good  lamb  should 
be  carried  over  to  be  fitted  as  a  yearling.  Unless 
one  can  foresee  that  the  lamb  will  be  a  prize  win- 
ner as  a  yearling  there  is  no  use  feeding  it  an- 
other year,  since  the  lamb  will  sell  for  about  as 
much  as  the  yearling,  and  one  year's  feed  is  saved. 

BEST  CLASS  TO  FIT. 

If  the  writer  had  a  choice  in  selecting  yearlings 
to  be  fitted  from  a  lot  which  contained  some  that 
had  been  fitted  and  shown  as  lambs  and  others 
that  had  not  been  fitted  previously,  both  lots  being 
equally  good  in  general  make-up,  he  would  imme- 
diately decide  upon  those  that  had  not  been  fitted 
and  shown  as  lambs.  He  would  do  this  because  it 
is  very  difficult  to  make  a  prize  winning  lamb  a 
prize  winning  yearling.  Yet  in  one  instance  the 
writer  was  very  fortunate  in  taking  first,  champion- 
ship, and  grand  championship  prizes  at  the  Inter- 
national Live  Stock  Show  at  Chicago  on  a  year- 
ling which  the  previous  year,  as  a  lamb,  had  won 


204  Sheep  Management. 

first  prize.  However,  this  was  a  very  exceptional 
case.  Sheep  with  new  flesh  and  in  new  bloom  are 
the  best  kind  to  show. 

FEEDING  THE  WETHERS. 

It  takes  from  four  to  four  and  one-half  months 
of  steady  feeding  to  get  yearling  wethers  in  proper 
shape  for  the  show  ring  and  the  block.  Of  course 
animals  in  a  rather  thin  condition  will  require  an 
even  longer  feeding  period.  This  work  should 
never  be  hurried  and  crowded  along  too  rapidly, 
for  if  the  wethers  are  pushed  along  too  fast  the 
chances  are  that  they  will  become  soft  and  lose 
their  firm  handling  quality.  Lambs,  however,  are 
brought  right  forward  from  the  day  they  com- 
mence eating.  It  is  very  essential  that  lambs  and 
yearlings  should  not  be  overheated,  which  often 
happens  in  hot  weather.  Therefore,  especially 
during  the  hot  weather,  grain  should  be  fed  but 
once  a  day,  until  cooler  weather  comes  on  towards 
fall.  Cabbage  and  turnips  tend  to  keep  them  cool 
when  fed  to  them  during  the  warmest  weather 
When  there  is  a  shortage  of  pasture  clover  or 
alfalfa  hay  may  be  fed. 

THE  BEST  GHAIN    MIXTURE  TO  FEED. 

In  the  writer's  experience  no  better  results  have 
been  obtained  in  producing  winners  on  the  hoof, 


Fitting  Wethers  for  Shows. 


205 


as  well  as  on  the  block,  than  by  feeding  yearling 
wethers  a  grain  mixture  consisting  of  one  part 
bran,  two  parts  oats,  one  part  cracked  field  peas, 
and  one  part  barley.  A  little  corn  may  be  added  in 


PLATE    56.     A    pair    of    prize-winning    Southdown    yearling    wethers 
shown  by  the  University  of  Wisconsin. 

place  of  peas,  if  these  are  not  available.  Heavy 
corn  feeding,  however,  should  be  avoided,  as  it 
produces  too  soft  a  carcass,  which  does  not  insure 
firm  handling  when  alive  and  shows  surplus  fat 
when  dressed.  Many  fitters  of  wethers  have 
learned  bitter  lessons  from  feeding  too  much  corn. 


206  Sheep  Management. 

This  rich  grain  ration  will  not  do  for  lambs  in 
warm  weather,  for  it  is  too  heavy.  During  the 
warm  weather  a  mixture  of  bran,  oats,  and  a  very 
little  oilmeal  has  given  satisfaction  for  feeding 
lambs.  In  cool  weather  a  few  peas  and  a  little 
barley  or  corn  will  not  injure  the  lambs,  but,  in 
general,  lambs  need  very  close  watching  so  as  not 
to  overload  them  with  grain,  which  causes  over- 
heating and  foundering.  They  should,  however, 
have  all  the  green  feeds  they  can  eat.  During  the 
hottest  months  of  the  fitting  period  the  best  feeds 
for  them  are  cabbage,  rape,  green  clover,  turnips, 
or  rutabagas.  At  this  time  these  feeds,  together 
with  some  good  clover  or  alfalfa  liny,  preferably 
the  latter,  should  be  their  main  ration.  The 
feeder  must  judge  as  to  the  amount  of  grain  to  be 
fed  to  each  animal. 

Often  the  writer  has  been  feeding  yearlings 
heavily  for  two  or  three  weeks,  because  he  thought 
that  they  were  not  advancing  rapidly.  After 
handling  them  again,  he  found  that  they  were  gain- 
ing too  fast,  and  therefore  the  grain  ration  was 
decreased  somewhat  so  that  at  show  time  they 
would  be  in  just  the  proper  condition.  The  touch 
of  the  feeder's  hand  must  guide  the  feeding. 
Lambs  hardly  ever  get  too  fat. 


Fitting  Wethers  for  Shows.  207 

FITTING  YEARLING  WETHERS. 

The  writer  will  now  give  the  course  pursued  by 
him  in  fitting  yearling  wethers  and  lambs  that 
have  been  successfully  shown  at  the  largest  fat 
stock  shows. 

All  the  animals  which  have  been  fitted  for  these 
shows  have  been  fed  experimentally  on  different 
rations  in  order  to  study  the  value  of  various  feeds. 
In  so  doing  all  the  feed  except  pasturage  is  weighed 
and  recorded,  enabling  the  writer  to  give  here  the 
most  successful  rations. 

The  yearlings  are  sheared  from  April  30  to  May 
10,  according  to  the  weather.  They  are  turned  out 
on  grass  about  May  20.  No  grain,  hay,  or  other  feed 
is  now  given  them.  About  July  10  they  are  brought 
to  the  barn,  and  from  this  date  a  small  allowance 
of  grain  is  fed  every  morning,  after  which  they  are 
driven  into  a  small  pasture  near  the  barn  where 
there  are  nice  shade  trees. 

About  July  15  the  first  trimming  or  so-called 
blocking-out  is  done.  A  cool  day  should  always 
be  chosen  for  trimming  any  sheep,  as  otherwise 
they  are  apt  to  become  overheated  from  struggling 
before  they  become  accustomed  to  being  trimmed. 
About  August  10  the  pasture  is  generally  becom- 
ing scant  and  some  nice  clover  hay  is  therefore  fed 
to  them  in  the  evening.  At  the  same  time  the  early 
cabbage  is  ready  for  feeding,  and  each  wether  re- 


208 


Sheep  Management. 


ceives  from  one  and  one-half  to  two  pounds  per 
head  daily. 

About  August  15  they  are  trimmed  the  second 
time,  and  where  the  wool  was  too  short  at  the  time 
of  the  first  trimming  to  give  the  wether  the  proper 


PI.ATI:  f>7.  Pure-bred  Southdown  yearling  wether  winning  third 
pri/e  in  open  class  and  championship  in  college  class  at  the  Interna- 
tional, 1910,  sho\\n  by  the  t'niversity  of  Wisconsin. 

shape,  it  is  now  trimmed  to  the  host  form  possible. 
The  grain  ration  is  also  incrensed  a  little  at  this 
time.  Beginning  September  20,  grain  is  fed  twice 
daily,  the  full  amount  formerly  fed  being  still 
given  in  the  morning,  but  only  a  little  being  at  first 
given  in  the  evening.  The  amount  is  gradually  in- 
creased as  the  weather  gets  cooler.  A  little  hay  is 


Fitting  Wethers  for  Shows.  209 

now  fed  in  the  morning  after  the  grain  is  given  and 
before  they  go  out  to  pasture.  The  wethers  now  re- 
ceive a  third  trimming,  after  which  they  need  only 
be  kept  smooth,  as  their  form  has  been  shaped  at 
previous  trimmings.  At  each  trimming  the  weth- 
ers are  carefully  handled  and  their  condition 
studied,  so  that  their  grain  ration  may  be  increased 
or  decreased  in  view  of  the  time  when  they  are  to 
be  shown.  About  October  1  rutabagas  are  ready  to 
be  fed,  and  as  excessive  cabbage  feeding  may  tend 
to  make  the  wethers  a  little  soft  in  handling,  each 
wether  receives  about  two  pounds  of  rutabagas 
each  day  chopped  up  with  a  root  cutter.  The 
amount  of  cabbage  is  reduced  at  this  time  to  one 
pound  for  each  wether,  making  two  pounds  of 
roots  and  one  pound  of  cabbage  for  each  wether 
daily. 

This  ration  is  continued  until  November  1  when 
cabbage  is  abandoned  and  the  same  amount  of 
roots,  two  pounds,  still  fed.  The  aim  from  this 
time  on  is  to  feed  them  mostly  on  grain  and  hay, 
so  that  they  will  become  firm  and  hard  and  be  solid 
in  handling,  which  is  the  main  point  in  the  ring 
as  well  as  on  the  block.  If  time  permits  they  are 
given  another  trimming  about  the  middle  of  Octo- 
ber. About  November  15  they  are  touched  up 
with  the  shears  for  the  last  time  and  are  then  cov- 
ered with  blankets. 

14 


210  Sheep  Management. 

Their  feet  receive  careful  attention  at  least  every 
five  or  six  weeks,  and  the  hoofs  are  trimmed  when 
found  necessary.  Until  November  1  the  wethers 
are  out  of  doors  every  day,  with  the  exception  of 
rainy  days,  principally  to  get  all  the  exercise  pos- 
sible. After  November  1  they  are  kept  in  the  barn 
day  and  night,  and  only  in  the  nicest  weather  are 
they  allowed  to  run  about  in  the  sheep  yard  for  a 
couple  of  hours  at  a  time.  For  shows  that  are  held 
earlier  in  the  fall  than  the  International  the  feed- 
ing has  to  be  crowded  along  a  little  more.  Before 
loading  on  the  car  for  shipment  to  the  show  they 
are  fed  only  a  half  meal  of  dry  feed,  to  prevent 
scouring. 

When  feeding  yearling  wethers  and  lambs  we 
often  find  that  some  of  them  become  troubled  with 
sore  sheaths.  These  should  be  treated  as  already 
stated  elsewhere  in  this  work.  They  should  be 
washed  out  with  a  syringe  a  few  times,  using  one 
quart  of  warm  water  to  one-half  teaspoonful  of 
permanganate  of  potash,  and  a  little  iodoform 
should  be  sprinkled  on  the  sore.  This  treatment 
will  soon  remedy  the  trouble. 

FITTING    WETHER   LAMBS. 

Lambs  that  are  to  be  shown  late  in  the  fall  are 
generally  put  into  the  barn  about  September  1. 
Their  grain  ration  has  been  outlined  before.  Dur- 


Fitting  Wethers  for  Shows.  211 

ing  warm  weather  they  should  be  fed  all  the  green 
feed  they  will  eat,  such  as  cabbage,  roots,  and 
green  clover.  Care  must  be  taken  that  they  are 
not  overheated  and  foundered  from  too  heavy 
grain  feeding.  There  is,  however,  no  danger  of 
getting  lambs  too  fat  through  heavy  grain  feeding, 
for  they  are  growing  too  rapidly  to  put  on  much 
fat.  In  cooler  weather  more  grain  may  safely  be 
fed,  and  the  allowance  of  green  feed  cut  down 
somewhat,  for  feeding  an  excessive  amount  ol 
green  feed  continuously  is  apt  to  make  the  lambs 
a  little  soft.  Of  course,  there  is  not  nearly  so  much 
danger  of  lambs  handling  soft  as  there  is  in  tho 
case  of  yearlings.  If  a  lamb  at  any  time  becomes 
overheated  and  founders  from  eating  too  much 
grain,  it  should  be  separated  from  the  rest  of  the 
flock  and  be  given  a  dose  of  two  tablespoonfuls 
of  epsom  salts  dissolved  in  water  for  a  physic.  If 
this  does  not  bring  about  the  desired  results 
the  dose  should  be  repeated.  The  lamb  should 
not  be  given  any  more  grain  until  the  trouble  is 
over.  When  lambs  are  overheated  they  are  stiff 
in  their  legs  and  body,  shake  when  walking,  and 
drink  lots  of  water.  If  they  are  once  foundered  it 
is  difficult  to  get  them  right  again. 

SYMPTOMS  OF  FOUNDER. 

The  term  foundering  is  well  known  to  many  ex- 
pert show  fitters.    It  does  not  make  any  difference 


212  Sheep  Management. 

how  well  any  man  is  posted  in  fitting  sheep,  he 
will  once  in  a  while  have  a  foundered  lamb.  In 
a  bunch  of  eight  to  ten  head  fed  in  the  most  care- 
ful manner,  there  are  perhaps  one  or  two  which 
are  more  greedy  than  the  others.  By  this  greedi- 


PLATE  58.  Grand  champion  pure-bred  Southdown  yearling  wether 
at  the  International,  1910,  shown  by  the  Huntleywood  Farm,  Quebec, 
Canada. 

ness  they  get  a  little  more  grain  than  their  share, 
and  if  the  grain  is  of  a  heavy,  rich  nature  during 
warm  weather  they  become  foundered. 

A  foundered  lamb  becomes  stiff  on  all  its  four 
legs.  It  walks  just  as  if  it  did  not  have  any  joints 
in  its  limbs,  its  temperature  is  abnormally  high, 
and  its  breathing  is  very  fast,  indicating  a  feverish 


Fitting  Wethers  for  Shows.  213 

condition.  It  does  not  care  to  walk  even  a  shori 
distance  and  lies  down  every  twenty  to  thirty 
feet,  and  sometimes  oftener,  when  it  is  driven. 
This  condition  is  due  to  an  overheated,  so-called 
"burned  out"  stomach  caused  by  eating  too  much 
heavy  grain.  While  a  certain  amount  of  graia 
may  bring  on  this  trouble  in  hot  weather,  in  cooler 
weather  this  same  amount,  or  even  more,  would 
not  hurt  the  lamb  in  the  least. 

REMEDY   FOR   FOUNDER. 

A  foundered  lamb  should  be  removed  from  the 
rest  and  placed  in  as  cool  quarters  as  can  be  given 
it.  The  grain  allowance  should  be  discontinued, 
and  it  should  be  fed  on  green  feeds,  such  as  rape, 
cabbage,  turnips,  and  green  clover,  with  perhaps 
a  little  good  hay.  The  lamb  should  remain  in 
these  cool  quarters  until  the  feverish  condition  has 
disappeared.  While  there  is  scarcely  any  medi- 
cine that  will  help  the  lamb  so  affected,  yet  a  quar- 
ter of  a  teaspoonful  of  saltpeter  given  twice  a  day 
in  a  little  water  may  prove  of  some  help.  A  dose 
or  two  of  physic  is  also  beneficial. 

TRIMMING  THE  LAMBS. 

Lambs  do  not  necessarily  need  to  be  trimmed 
until  they  are  brought  to  the  barn,  which,  as  al- 
ready mentioned,  is  about  September  1.  On  any 


214  Sheep  Management. 

cool  day  after  that  date  they  may  receive  their 
first  trimming.  Three  trimmings  should  bring 
them  into  very  nice  form,  as  their  wool  is  longer 
than  that  on  yearlings,  and  therefore  they  can  be 
blocked  out  with  fewer  trimmings.  While  they 
are  being  fitted  it  is  necessary  to  give  their  feet 
attention,  one  or  two  trimmings  usually  being  nec- 
essary to  keep  their  hoofs  in  proper  shape. 

SELECTING  BLOCK   WINNERS. 

Very  often  many  of  the  pri/e  winning  wethers 
on  the  hoof  do  not  win  on  the  block.  This  is  prob- 
ably true  in  more  casrs  in  Kngland  than  in  Amer- 
ica. At  the  English  shows  fatter,  softer,  and  more 
blubbery  wethers  are  shown  than  in  America,  and 
these  animals  are  awarded  the  pri/e  money  be- 
cause the  English  seem  to  like  Taller  mutton  than 
do  Americans.  The  American  judges  of  fat  weth- 
ers have  come  to  realize  what  it  is  that  the  butcher 
wants  when  the  animal  is  brought  on  the  block. 

It  has  been  demonstrated  time  and  again  that 
the  Southdown  excels  all  other  breeds  when  it 
comes  to  the  block  test.  This  breed  of  sheep  more 
adequately  fills  the  requirements  of  what  consti- 
tutes a  good  form,  and  shows  the  proper  mixing 
of  fat  with  lean  meat,  which  forms  what  is  termed 
"nicely  marbled"  meat.  The  carcass  possesses 
great  thickness,  and  has  the  least  tallow  in  propor- 


Fitting  Wethers  for  Shows.  215 

tion  to  the  lean  meat.  The  Shropshire  stands  next 
in  rank  to  the  Southdown,  judging  from  the  win- 
nings by  this  breed  at  the  International  during  the 
past  eleven  years. 


PLATE  59.     Champion  pure-bred  Cheviot  yearling  wether  at  the  Inter- 
national, 1909,  shown  by  the  University  of  Wisconsin. 

A  person  who  has  carefully  observed  the  awards 
made  in  the  carcass  classes,  can  pretty  well  judge 
when  the  sheep  are  alive  which  of  them  will  win 
on  the  block.  Such  carcasses  will  win  that  cut  the 
most  edible  meat,  especially  those  parts  that  sell 
for  the  highest  prices,  providing,  of  course,  that 


216  Sheep  Management. 

the  meat  is  of  the  proper  quality.  A  wether  that 
usually  wins  on  the  block  is  of  the  following  de- 
scription when  alive.  To  start  with  he  has  a  very 
short  neck,  is  broad  and  smooth  on  the  shoulders, 
with  a  well-developed  back,  has  no  depression  be- 
tween shoulder  and  first  rib,  and  has  sides  which 
do  not  bulge  out.  His  back  is  very  smooth  and 
broad,  being  especially  broad  and  thick  over  the 
loin,  with  a  long,  wide  hind  quarter  filled  out  well 
in  the  twist  nearly  to  the  hocks.  There  is  no  sur- 
plus fat  on  the  tail-head,  nor  on  the  fore  flank, 
the  belly  does  not  hang  down  too  deep,  and  the 
legs  are  short  and  not  coarse  in  bone.  The  wether 
must  have  a  very  firm  handling  quality,  as  those 
that  handle  soft  alive  will  also  handle  soft  when 
dressed.  If  fed  on  the  right  kind  of  feed  the  car- 
cass will  display  the  desired  so-called  "cream" 
color. 

The  writer  has  fitted  the  champion  carcass  prize 
winners  five  years  out  of  eleven  years'  showing  at 
the  International,  and  has  won  many  other  prizes 
in  these  classes.  He  has  therefore  gained  some 
knowledge,  at  least,  in  this  line  of  work.  At  the 
close  of  this  discussion  it  may  be  stated  that  a 
wether  that  has  the  right  conformation  and  is  fed 
the  proper  quantity  of  the  right  kind  of  feed  is 
bound  to  win  on  the  block.  Among  these  feeds, 


Fitting  Wethers  for  Shows.  217 

alfalfa  and  clover  hay,  oats,  barley,  bran,  and  espe- 
cially peas  may  be  highly  recommended. 

JUDGING    SHEEP   AT   FAIRS. 

Acting  as  the  judge  of  sheep  at  fairs  is  by  no 
means  a  small  task,  for  the  person  who  performs 
this  duty  assumes  a  large  measure  of  responsi- 
bility. Incompetence  of  a  judge  is  inexcusable  in 
every  event.  No  person  should  ever  attempt  to 
act  as  judge,  even  at  a  county  fair,  unless  he  pos- 
sesses the  necessary  qualifications.  Wherever 
judging  is  done  at  any  fair,  whether  large  or  small, 
a  crowd  of  interested  onlookers  watch  the  work 
and  decisions  of  the  judge,  and  aim  to  learn  the 
highest  type  and  conformation  of  animals.  If  the 
judge  is  not  capable  of  selecting  the  best  animals 
for  the  prize  winners  from  those  which  are  brought 
before  him,  but  selects  unworthy  candidates,  he  is 
not  only  depriving  exhibitors  of  their  prize  money 
and  the  honor  rightfully  belonging  to  them,  but  he 
is  also  deceiving  the  interested  onlookers.  He  con- 
veys the  wrong  impression  of  what  constitutes  the 
highest  class  of  well-conditioned  show  animals  to 
those  who  come  to  the  fair  to  learn.  Any  person 
guilty  of  awarding  prizes  to  unworthy  animals  is 
committing  an  offense  which  he  cannot  rectify 
later  on.  Generally  the  practical  sheepmen  who 
are  themselve's  good  breeders  and  successful  ex- 


I 

ll 
si 


£•£ 


t 


Fitting  Wethers  for  Shows.  219 

hibitors  have  given  the  best  satisfaction  as  judges. 
It  is  clear  to  everyone  that  a  man  who  for  years 
has  cared  for  and  raised  sheep  and  is  familiar 
with  show  yard  deceptions  will  make  a  more  effi- 
cient judge  than  one  who  only  occasionally  sees  a 
sheep. 

The  judge  must  possess  the  following  qualifica- 
tions before  he  is  competent  to  officiate  in  the  ring : 

First,  he  must  be  thoroughly  familiar  with  the 
standard  of  excellence  of  each  individual  breed  of 
sheep  he  is  to  pass  upon. 

Second,  he  must  have  learned  the  practical  man- 
ner of  handling  and  examining  sheep. 

Third,  he  must  possess  the  indispensable  sharp- 
ness to  quickly  see  the  best  points  in  one  sheep  and 
the  defective  ones  in  another. 

Fourth,  when  questioned  he  must  be  able  to  state 
the  reasons  upon  which  he  bases  his  decision. 

Fifth,  he  should  be  able  to  pass  judgment  on  a 
class  in  a  fairly  speedy  manner. 

Sixth,  and  most  important  of  all,  the  judge  must 
be  strictly  honest. 

In  the  show  ring  he  should  accord  the  same  treat- 
ment to  his  enemy  that  he  does  to  his  friend.  Ab- 
solute impartiality  should  govern  his  decision.  Of 
course  no  judge  can  please  all  exhibitors,  as  the 
better  animals  will  win  and  the  inferior  ones  will 
ahvays  lose.  But  if  a  judge  who  understands  his 


220  Sheep  Management. 

business  gives  all  concerned  a  square  deal,  not 
much  criticism  will  follow  his  work.  The  judge 
who  has  rated  the  animals  correctly  can  leave  the 
fair  grounds  \vith  a  clear  conscience  and  with  a 
feeling  that  he  has  accorded  justice  to  all.  Differ- 
ence of  opinion  will  always  prevail,  but  on  the 
whole  general  satisfaction  attends  the  decisions  of 
the  capable  judge. 


INDEX 


Abortion,  due  to  frozen  or  mouldy 

feed,    35 
due    to    narrow    doors, 

37 

Age,  how  to  determine,  27 
Age  of  ram  to  use,  9 
Age  of  sheep  to  feed,  146 
Alfalfa  may  cause  bloat,  120 
Alfalfa  hay,  36 

for    fattening    sheep, 
161 

Barb  wire,  dangers  from  broken, 

21 

Barley  for  fattening,  159 
Barn  for   sheep   in   winter,  37 
Bean  straw  for  fattening,  161 
Beet  pulp,  dried,  for  fattening,  158 

wet,  for  fattening,  163 
Blanketing  show  sheep,  192 
Blindness,  due  to  cold  wind,  43 
Bloat  in  sheep,  120 

remedy   for,   121 
Block   winners,    selecting,   214 
Blue  grass   hay,  36 
Bran   for  fattening,   159 
Breed,  value  of,  in  the  flock,  4 
Breeding  the  ewes,  11 
Breeding  class,  selection  for,  181 
Burdocks  and   sandburs,  140 

Cabbage  for  fall  and  winter  feed- 
ing, 133 

Caked  udders,  58 
Carcass,  prize  winning,  215 
Carrying  small  sheep  and  lambs, 

23. 

Castrating   lambs,   75 
Catching  the  sheep,  21 
Chilled  lambs,  50 
Cleanliness,  value  of,  150 
Clippers  for  trimming  feet,  102 


Clover  hay,  36 

for   fattening   sheep, 

161 
Clover  pasture  may   cause  bloat, 

120 

Colic,  or  "stretches,"  124 
Coloring  show  sheep,  192 
Constipation  in  lambs,  50 
Corn  for   fattening,  158 
Corn  fodder,  36 
Corn  silage,  see  Silage 
Cotton-seed    meal    for    fattening, 

160 

Cowpea   hay   for  fattening,  161 
Cow's  milk  for  lambs,  69 
Creep,  lamb,  65 
Culling  the  ewe  flock,  137 
Culling  the  lamb  flock,  138 

Dead  furrows,  danger  from,  142 

Dipping,    88,   97 

Docking  lambs,  77 

Dog  problem,  3 

Doors,  danger  from  narrow,  37 

Dorset  ewes,  care  of,  171 

Dorset    Horns    for   winter   lambs, 

170 
Drainage,  importance  of,  for  sheep 

barn,   37 

Drenching  sheep,  113 
Dried  beet  pulp  for  fattening,  158 
Drying  up  ewes,  86 

Ear  label,  72 

Emmer  for  fattening,  160 

Ewe  flock,  the,  17 

Ewes,  assisting  in  lambing,  52 

care   of,   at   breeding   time, 
139 

care  of  newly  lambed,  51 

care  of,  after  weaning,  84 

culling  the,  137 


(221) 


222 


Sheep  Management. 


Ewes — Cont. 

drying  up  the,  86 
exercise  for,  in  winter,  39, 

44 

feed  for,  after  lambing,  57 
flushing  out,  after  lambing, 

57 

flushing  the,  134 
gestation  period  of,  43 
grade  or  pure-bred,  17 
grain  for,  in  winter,  33 
number  of,  to  one  ram,  15 
shearing    before    or    after 

lambing,   96 
succulent  feeds  for,  34 
tagging,  at  lambing  time,  59 
time  to  breed,  139 
Examining  the  teeth,  27 
Exercise,      importance      of,      for 
ewes,   39,    It 
for  show  sheep,  185, 

210 

little,      for      fattening 
sheep.    1  .">.'• 

Fairs,  judging  sheep  at,  217 
Fattening,  age    of    sheep    to    feed 

for,    Iffi 

for   market,   115 
grain   for,   158 
principles  of,  149 
roughages  for,  160 
shelter    necessary    for, 

157 
succulent      feeds      for, 

161 

Fat  wethers,  see  Wethers 
Feeders,  age  of,  146 

selection  of,  147 
Feed  for  ewe  after  lambing,  57 
Feed   for  the  ram,  16 
Feeding   for   market,   145 
Feeding,   order   of,   153 

principles    of,    149 
Feet  trimming,  100 
Field  peas  for  fattening,  160 
Field  peas,  grazing  on,  161 
Fitting    breeding    class,    time     to 
start,  183 


Fitting  sheep   for  show  ring,  177 

Fitting  wethers  for  shows,  197 

Fleece,  tying  up  the,  93 

Flock,  establishing  the,  1 

management  of  the,  19 
small,  for  beginners,  2 

Flushing  out  the  ewe  after  lamb- 
ing, 57 

Flushing  the  ewes,  131 

Foot-rot,  102 

Founder,  danger  of,  211 

remedy  for,  213 

Full   mouth,  31 

Gentleness,  importance  of,  149 

Gestation  period  of  ewes,  43 

Grading  up  flock,  5 

Grain  for  ewes  in  winter,  33 
fattening,  158 
the   ram,   16 
young  lambs,  68 

Grain  trough  for  lambs,  (i7 

old  sheep,  <>7 

Grub   in  the  head,   116 

prevention,  118 

Hand  coupling,  11 

Hand  feeding  or  self-feeders,  157 

Hay,  alfalfa,    .!(, 

blue  grass,  36 

clover.    :?(•. 

marsh.  36 

timothy,   36 
Hay   for  fattening,   161 
Hay    rack.    U7 
Heat    of  rues,    time,   13 

Inflammation  of  the  eyes,  43 
udder,  .">.K 

Judging  sheep  at   fairs,  217 
Judgment   in   feeding,  151 

Labor   required   by   sheep,   1 
Lamb,  almost     lifeless,     reviving. 
49 

chilled,    50 

ram,  using  for  breeding,  9 
Lamb  creep,  65 
Lambing,  assisting  the  e\ve  in,  52 


Index. 


223 


Lambing  pens,  39 

Lambing  time,  45 

Lambs,  adopted,  51 
weak,  48 
castrating,    75 
cow's  milk  for,  69 
culling  the,  138 
disowned,  48 
docking,  77 
feed  for  young,  61 
grain  for  young,  68 
grain  trough  for,  67 
make  best  gains,  146 
marking,   72 
raising  by  hand,  70,  71 
selecting  the  good,  64 
weaning,  83 
when  to  market,  164 
winter,  167 

Leading  the  sheep,  23 

Legume  hay   for  fattening,  161 

Lice,  97 

Lifeless  lamb,  reviving,  49 

Lifting  small  sheep,  23 

Linseed  meal  for  fattening,  160 

Lips,    opening    the,    to    determine 
age,  30 

Maggots,  125 

cause,  128 
prevention,  128 
treatment,  129 

Mangels   dangerous   to   rams   and 
wethers,  133 

Manure,  value  of  sheep,  2 

Market,  time  to,  164 

Marking  lambs,  72 

Marsh    hay,    poor    for    sheep,    36, 
161 

Medicine,  administering,  113 

Medicines    helpful    to    the    flock- 
master,  123 

Milk,  cow's,  for  young  lambs,  69 

Narrow  door,  danger  from,  37 

Oat-  and  pea-hay,  36 

Oat  hay,  36 

Oats  for  fattening,  158 


Oat  straw,  36 
Overheating,  211 

Parasites,  prevention  and  treat- 
ment of,  105 

Patience,  importance  of,  149 

Pea-cannery  refuse,  161 

Peas,  grazing  on  field,  161 

Pea  straw  for  fattening,  161 

Pens,  lambing,  39 

Percentage  of  lambs,  increasing, 
136 

Period  of  gestation,  43 

Pinchers  for  docking,  80 

Points  of  good  ewes,  17 

Points  of  a  good  ram,  7 

Punctuality,   value   of,   151 

Pure-bred  ram,  importance  of,  4 

Raising  lambs,  61 
Ram,  age  to  use,  9 
care  in  fall,  11 
care  in  summer,  10 
care  in  winter,  16 
feed  for,  16 
field,  for  breeding,  9 
number  of  ewes  to  one,  15 
painting,  on  brisket,  13 
points  of  a  good,  7 
saving  vitality  of,  13 
scrub,  unprofitable,  4 
selection  of,  5 
show,   for  breeding,   9 
sugar     beets     and     mangels 

dangerous  for,  17,  133 
turning  with  ewes,  11 
using  a  lamb,  9 
value  of  pure-bred,  4,  7 
Rape,  value  of,  131 
Reducing  show  sheep,  195 
Reviving  almost    lifeless    lambs, 

49 

chilled   lambs,  50 
Roots,  danger    from   frozen,   36 
for  ewes,  34 

for  fall  and  winter  feed- 
ing, 133 

for  fattening,  161 
Roughage  for  winter,  36 


224 


Sheep  Management. 


Roughages  for  fattening,  160 
Hutahages    for    fall    and     winter 
feeding,  133 

Salt,  necessity  of,  139 
Sandburs  and   burdocks,  140 
Scrub   ram   unprofitable,    1 
Setting  a  sheep  on  its  rump,  25 
Self-feeders   or  hand-feeding,   157 
Shearing,  89 
Shearing     ewes     before     or     after 

lambing,  96 
Shearing   machine,   91 
Shearing   sheep,   cruelty    in.    111 
Sheep  barn,  .'{7 

Sheep    economical    meat     produc- 
ers, 1 

Sheep  husbandry,  advantages  of,  '2 
Shelter    for    ewes    in    \\inter.    -II 
fattening    sheep,    157 
show    sheep,    1 !» I 

Shipping,  crowding    in    cars    dan- 
gerous,  107 

how    to  feed  before,  160 
Showing   sheep.    177 
Show    rams    for    breeding,    9 
Show    sheep,   blanketing,   192 
classes   of.    18(1 
coloring.    192 
feed    for,    LSI 
reducing  after  fairs. 

195 

shelter    for.    191 
training      for      ring, 

1  93 
trimming      feet      of, 

195 
Silage,  corn,  danger   from   moldy, 

.'{5 

for  ewes,  35 
for    fattening,   161 
fro/en,     dangerous, 

35 

Sore  sheaths,  125,   210 
Sore  teats,   59 
Sore  teeth,  26 

Soy  beans  for  fattening,  161 
Speltz   for   fattening,    100 
Stretches,  or  colic,  121 


Succulent  feeds  for  ewes,  34 

for  fattening,  161 
Sugar    beets    dangerous    to    rams 

and  wethers,  133 
Summer   feeding  and   care,   131 

Tagging  ewes  at  lambing  time,  59 
Tank   for   dipping,   99 
Teats,   sore,  59 

Teeth,  age  determined   by,   27 
changes   in,  31 
milk,  29 
permanent.    2!> 
sore,    20 
Timothy    hay    poor    for   sheep,   36, 

101 
Training     sheep     for     show      ring. 

193 

Trimming   show    sheep,    186 
Trimming  sheep,  a   help  in,   191 
Trimming   wether   lambs.   21.'! 
Trimming    the    feet,    inn 
Trimming  feet  of  show   sherp,   l'.».~> 
Triplets,    15 
'Tunis   sheep.    171 
Turnips  for  fall  and  winter  feed- 
ing,   l.'O 
Twin    lambs,    15 
'Tying  up   fleece,  113 

I'ddcrs,    caked.    58 

inflamed.    58 

Weaning   the    lambs,   83 
Weeds,   destroyed    by   sheep,   1 
Wet    beet    pulp    for    fattening,   163 
Wether  lambs,  danger  of  founder- 
ing.  210 
lifting,  210 
trimming,   213 
Wethers,  age  to   show,  202 

best   class   to  lit,   203 
feeding,    201 
fitting  for  shows,   l!l. 
fitting   yearling,    207 
grain  mixture  for,  2<>  1 
points  of  block  winners. 
214 


Index. 


225 


Wethers— Cont. 

selecting  block  winners, 

214 

selecting  for  shows,  200 
shearing,  202 
sore  sheath,  125 
sugar    beets    and    man- 
gels dangerous  for,  133 
Wheat  for  fattening,  160 
Wheat    screenings    for    fattening, 
158 


Wide  doors,  necessity  of,  in  barn, 
37 

Winter  care  of  ram,  16 

Winter  grain  for  ewe  flock,  33 

Winter  lambs,  167 

care       of       Dorset 

ewes,  171 
feeding  the,  173 
profits  from,  174 

Winter  quarters,  37 

Winter  roughage,  36 

Wool  box,  95 


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